Discover Life Between the Tides: A Guide to Tidepooling in SLO CAL

Before starting your tidepool adventure, it’s important to know and follow a few of the tidepooling guidelines.

1. Only access the pools at low tide. Trying to tidepool at high tide is not only dangerous, due to slippery rocks and high surf, but disappointing. You won’t be able to see the organisms you’re looking for. You can track the times for high and low tide here: NOAA Tides and Currents. 

2. Walk slowly and gently and try to step on bare rock as much as possible. If you need to cross an area without bare rock, step gently and avoid any turning motions with your feet to avoid harming any of the organisms. You will notice more of the biodiversity in the tidepools if you’re approaching and watching slowly. 

3. Never touch or remove any of the organisms you see in the tidepools. Don’t “roll over” rocks —animals that live on the other side need to stay where they are to survive.

There are countless places to choose from in SLO CAL for your tidepool day, and no shortage of beauty at any. After you’ve checked the tide, here are a few choices to help narrow down the list. 

If you’re exploring north SLO CAL: 

Arroyo Laguna: The parking lot is located about two miles north of Heart Castle, directly off Highway 1 in San Simeon. Follow the short Point Sierra Nevada Trailhead south to the beach to discover the tidepools and rocky shoreline. 

Moonstone Beach: While driving on Highway 1, turn onto Windsor Boulevard towards the ocean in Cambria, then take a quick right onto Moonstone Beach Drive and follow the road till you see the Santa Rosa Creek parking lot on the left. Once you’ve parked, take the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk north for 0.3 miles and find the staircase down to the beach and towards the tidepools. 

Montaña De Oro: In Los Osos, take Los Osos Valley Road until it connects with Pecho Valley Road and continue along the windy roads into the entrance of the park. While Montaña De Oro boasts several beautiful tidepools within its park, Hazard Reef is a great, easy-access option to find tidepools. Park in the Hazard Reef Trailhead dirt lot just about half a mile into the park and take the 1-mile Dune Trail with wooden stairs and a boardwalk, through the 4-way junction. The trail will end at a rocky shoreline filled with tidepools. 

North Point Natural Area: Turn onto Yerba Buena Street in Morro Bay towards the ocean and then make a sharp right onto Toro Lane and follow the road all the way to the end to reach the parking lot. The tidepools are located at the base of the stairway that leads to the beach. 

If you’re exploring south SLO CAL: 

Avila Beach: Take Avila Beach Drive to San Juan Street to find either street parking or beach front parking. To discover the tidepools, head towards the south side of the beach and adventure around the cliffs and rocky shoreline. 

Pirate’s Cove: This clothing-optional beach is home to a sea cave and several tidepools. To get here take Avila Beach Drive to Cave Landing Road until you hit the Pirate’s Cove Beach Parking lot. Take the dirt trail from the parking lot to the sand and discover the numerous tidepools the beach holds. The walk to the beach can be strenuous, with steep climbs, but the views are worth it! 

Margo Dodd Park: Take Price Street (if you’re heading north) or Shell Beach Road (if you’re heading south) to Seaview Avenue in Pismo Beach. Then, take Ocean Boulevard and find street parking. The tide pools are accessible by a set of stairs north of the main gazebo. 

Spyglass Beach: Take Spyglass Drive in Pismo Beach and stay on it until it turns into Solana Drive and ends at the parking lot with a playground. There is a trail from the parking lot directly to the rocky beach and tidepools.

Once you’ve decided where you want to go, you’ll want to make sure that you have the right materials to take on the day. Some helpful items to bring along with you include sunscreen, closed-toe shoes and/or water shoes, a hat, sunglasses, a flashlight (for looking in deep rock crevices or if you plan on tidepooling around sunset), a water bottle and a swimsuit (for jumping in the water after!) 

If you’re missing any items from the list, SLO CAL has several surf shops to help you out:

• Moondoggies
• Central Coast Surfboards
• Esteem Surf Co.
• Azhiaziam/Morro Rock Surf Shop
• Beach Comber Bill’s 
• Cayucos Surf Company

Once you’ve made your way to the tidepools, here's what you can expect to find: an array of snails, seaweed, fish, urchins, crabs and more. If you’re exploring and wondering what it is you’re looking at, these are some of the common organisms you might find in the tidepools in SLO CAL. 

Sea Anemones: These colorful creatures are found in tidepools across the county and resemble a flower. They often cling to rocks and are submerged by water. 

Black Tegula: These snails are very common along SLO CAL's coastal rocky shores. They are identifiable by their pyramid-shaped, black and purple shell. 

Chiton: These animals often get confused for a piece of scrap metal due to their unique shell with eight overlapping plates. 

Starfish: These five-armed animals are fan favorites. In SLO CAL, the most common type of Starfish is the Bat Star. They have a thicker body, shorter arms and webbing between each of their arms that resemble a Bat wing, giving them their name. 

Sea Urchin: These spiky invertebrates love to find their way into small cracks in rocks and tidepools. They are often bright purple, red or black, but be careful with them their spikes are not fun to touch! 

Fish: SLO CAL’s marine ecosystem allows for tons of fish and diversity. Some fun fish that you might find in the tidepools include the Monkeyface Prickleback (a long and eel-like fish with a rounded snout), the Tidepool Snailfish (a small jelly like fish that typically blends in with algae) or even the Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (known for its antler-like sharp spines on its gills and flat head). 

Crabs: SLO CAL tidepools are also home to several different types of crabs. Some crabs you might see are the Striped Shore Crabs (distinguishable by their green and black striped exterior), Hermit Crabs (most notably the Blueband Hermit crab with a brown and green body and bright blue bands on their legs) or Rock crabs (with significantly large claws). 

Seaweed: The marine diversity in SLO CAL doesn’t just stop at its animals. There are also several different kinds of seaweed you might find like Sea Lettuce (known for its ruffled and wavy edge), Feather Boa Kelp (named for its long leathery stipes) or even the miniature olive and brown “palm tree” alga known as Sea Palm. 

If there are any organisms that didn’t make this list that you’re left wondering about, you can always ask a local to help you identify it!

Although there are several species waiting to be discovered in the SLO CAL tidepools, there are also other gems you might find near the shore.  SLO CAL beaches often contain Sand Dollars, Sea glass, Pismo Clams, Angular Unicorns, Limpets, Abalones and more on their coast. Please make sure that you do not remove any living animals from their shells or homes.

More Ways to See Shoreline Creatures in SLO CAL

If the tides are too high when you want to go tidepooling, you are unable to access the tidepools or if sand is just not really your thing, there are still other options in SLO CAL to experience and learn about the wildlife that call tidepools their home. Here are a few other locations in SLO CAL where you can see tidepool biodiversity in an easily accessible way: 

• Central Coast Aquarium 
• Coastal Discovery Center 

Tidepooling is an incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in the nature surrounding SLO CAL and to learn more about the creatures that make up this environment. With so many beautiful beaches and different tidepools nearby, don’t miss out on the chance to discover a whole new world. Let SLO CAL’s tidepools bring out your inner explorer.