Alex and I woke up early on Saturday morning to head down to Dana Point after reading Traci’s post about visiting the tide pools on her blog, Walk Simply. We checked the times for low tide to make sure we would be there at a good time, and headed out.
It was a warm weekend here in Southern California, with temperatures in the mid-80s, making this the perfect weekend to head to the beach! We were glad to find great parking close to the entrance of the tide pools, and were blessed with an empty shore to explore. Another bonus? We spotted some dolphins playing in the surf alongside the kayakers and the SUPers. It really was a stereo-typically-perfect beach day here in Orange County!
Here are some photos from our mini-adventure:
We saw plenty of crabs, some sea lions, sea anemones,
Tips for visiting tide pools:
- Read posted signs and follow all rules (like no dogs, no glass, and no collecting)
- Dress in layers, it may get cool while you’re that close to the water
- Bring an extra trash bag to collect liter you find along the way. Alex and I pulled a Mylar balloon and a golf ball from the tide pools
- Know when high tide is due to come in so you can be out of danger
- Bring a camera!
Have you visited a tide pool before?
Are you having strangely warm weather by you?
You can read more about Dana Point and the marine resources on the City of Dana Point’s website.
What a beautiful place! I always enjoy your outings :)
I was TOTALLY thinking of you/Grow Soul Beautiful while I was out there! “This would probably be a good time to check to see what today’s pose is…”, ha! Next time, next time!
I have never visited tide pools, but I would love to! It looks like a lot of fun. Also, if you would be so kind as to send some of that warm weather my way, it would be much appreciated. It’s still “winter” here in Texas…I don’t understand!
I spoke too soon, it’s back down to mid-60s today and it is expected to rain tomorrow and maybe Wednesday. I totally jinxed the whole thing!
Hi Kam, WOW you were able to see it all! Stoked you could see dolphins and sea lions. Now next time you need to hike to the sea cave from that location.Thanks for the shout out!
Thanks for blogging about it in the first place! I’m not sure we would’ve ever found it, otherwise. We’ll have to check out the sea cave next time we are in the area…I’m hoping to learn how to SUP down there in the next few weekends (hoping it gets warm again!) and I’m thinking that’s the perfect weekend to hunt down a sea cave :)
Tide pools! The last time I went to Cali my friends tried to arrange a trip, but the weather just wasn’t cooperating. They still look like the coolest things ever, though!
So pretty! Man, those photographs are amazing.