Last week during spring break, one the most fun things we did was tide pooling at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas.
It took about an hour to get there from our hometown of Novato, but it was worth the drive!
I always feel better when I see the ocean. There’s something about the sound of the waves lapping the shore, the scent of salty water in the air and sand underneath my feet that feels so right. And the colors in this place, WOW! So many shades of tan, green, purple, dusty pink and deep rich brown.
Basically what you do is walk down to the beach during low tide and check out whatever happens to be hanging out on the shore. It sounds like it would be boring, but it’s totally fun and exciting to find different plants and animals amongst the rocks.
One of the coolest things we stumbled upon was this abalone shell, which was the size of a large dinner plate. I haven’t seen one at a beach since I was a kid!
Don’t you love the mix of green, blue, pink and purple? Totally reminds me of fancy jewelery.
We also saw hermit crabs, mussels, seaweed, sea urchin, sea anemones and chiton.
A few tide pool tips
- Check the low tide time online beforeheand, then try to arrive at least one hour before the tide is fully out.
- Try to go on a day when the tide is a negative low tide if you can!
- Bring layers. It was really sunny but cold and windy when we were there.
- You may want to wear waterproof shoes with good traction, too.
Oh, and if you ever get the chance to visit, be sure to stop by the tiny town of Bolinas afterwards to grab the avocado toast or the acai bowl at the BoVida!
It was exactly what we needed after a trip to the beach. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen