

Be careful where you walk so as not to crush any critters or disturb small rocks. Wear shoes with a good grip, as rocks can be dangerously slippery during low tide.The best time to visit tide pools is at low tide! Check out when low tide is in your area online.Here are a few tips, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for enjoying tide pools: Artificial tidal pools to be built to promote marine biodiversity They are planned along the coast of Ras Al Khaimah to create a natural habitat for crabs, algae, molluscs and other marine life A pilot project will see 10 to 15 artificial tidal pools built of the coast of Ras al Khaimah. Tide pools are an amazing way to see sea life up close, but it’s important to do so in a way that is respectful to the animals and ecosystem. In fact, some of the United States’ best tide pools are on rocky coasts, like in the Olympic Peninsula, Monterey Bay and Acadia National Park. Tide pools can be found in mudflats, sandy beaches and rocky shorelines (where there are lots of crevices in the rock). Middle intertidal zones get a little more time under the water, and includes animals like sea stars, urchins and sea anemones. That includes mussels, barnacles, snails and crabs. So, which animals are hearty enough to survive the tide pool thunder dome? In high intertidal zones, or ones that are furthest away from the sea line at high tide, you’ll find many animals who have shells that can help them withstand the sun and waves. Lastly, tide pools are the perfect place for predators to hunt for a snack-it’s hard for the prey to escape! Sea birds, crabs and other predators can walk from pool to pool, looking for their next meal. Second, oxygen levels can drop over time without the flow of fresh seawater. First, tide pools can get pretty toasty with the sun beating down on them for hours during the day, so animals need to be able to withstand warm temperatures (and big temperature changes).

Although it might seem like a cozy spot for an ocean animal to nestle down, they can leave animals exposed to predators and other threats. Any animals that were in that water get trapped too-at least until high tide! The area of the shore that is more exposed during low tides and covered during high tides is called the intertidal zone, and this is where you find tide pools! When the ocean recedes during low tide, some water remains trapped in holes, slopes and cracks on the shore. Every day, the gravitational pulls of the sun and moon cause changes in sea level called tides. Tide pools are small pockets of water that form during the tidal cycles. But how much do you actually know about tide pools? Read on to learn what tide pools are, how they form and how animals survive and thrive in them. For many people (including myself!), their earliest exposure to the ocean was through playing in tide pools, searching for critters to discover. Most beach-goers will recognize the shallow pools that emerge during low tide that contain ocean animals like barnacles, crabs and sea stars.
