“There is no greater joy than the exhilaration of children as they eagerly discover the wonders of the world around them. Moreover, what could be more fulfilling than standing by your child’s side, actively guiding their exploration as nature’s marvelous creatures are gradually unveiled in The Sea Ranch tide pools?”
As an educator myself, I want help you instruct your child to be a good steward of our planet. Therefore, gathered here are teaching tips and information about the incredible creatures commonly found in The Sea Ranch tide pools.
Before You Go
Always check the tides charts before you go to assure the tides are low and tide pooling is safe for you and your children. As a guest at Sea Ranch Abalone Bay you can find tide charts in our digital Guidebook. You can also find tide charts on our website here.
Quick Tips for Sharing Sea Ranch Tide Pools with Your Child
To make the most of nature’s classroom for your child here are a few suggestions.
Have background information ready to share.
You may need to give them a brief overview of oceans and tide pools. If this is the case, find books and pamphlets available in our reading library for a variety of reading levels. We also have a young child’s game sea creature matching game.
Prepare your child for the excitement of further discovery.
As you gaze out Abalone Bay’s window or stroll along the ocean bluff, take the opportunity to encourage a visit to the beaches below. If your child has explored tide pools before, begin by asking what they remember. Then, inspire their curiosity by encouraging them to take the lead as the teacher, sharing their knowledge with you. To further build excitement, start by showing photos of tide pool animals and inviting them to become an oceanographer for a day. Moreover, you can enhance the experience by creating a scavenger hunt list of possible sea creatures and plants to discover, making their adventure even more engaging!
A word of caution.
Before your discovery walk, review the “Rules of the Tide Pools” with your child. Remind them to never turn their back on the ocean—waves can be unpredictable, even at low tide. Even though the tide may be low, waves can still be high and knock your child over. The water and any exposed seaweed also make the rocky floor extremely slippery.
Intertidal Zones and Tides
National Geographic defines the intertidal zone, “where the ocean meets the land, is an extreme ecosystem that experiences drastic changes. Organisms living in these places are exposed to air during low tides and submerged in seawater during high tides.”
California’s intertidal zones are remarkably varied. They include not only steep, rocky ledges but also long, sloping sandy beaches and expansive mudflats that can extend for hundreds of meters. Furthermore, this diverse ecosystem supports a multitude of organisms living on the shore, all of which must adapt to the constant shifts between high and low tides. Moreover, intertidal organisms must withstand dramatic changes in moisture, temperature, and salinity to survive in this ever-changing environment. They also need to withstand strong waves.
What are Tides?
Tides are long, slow waves formed by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun, combined with Earth’s rotation. As a result, the depth of those waves causes sea levels to rise and fall twice a day. Specifically, when water moves up onto the beach, it is called high tide, whereas when it recedes, it is known as low tide. Additionally, tidal currents, which are movements in the water, are directly influenced by the tides. More precisely, they ebb during a falling tide and flood during a rising tide.
King Tides Make Tide-Pooling Even Better!
On occasion, the tide levels have been known to be extreme. They are known by the unscientific name of king tides.
As King Tides are announced we’ll post their dates here and be sure to inform our guests. King Tides bring our most extreme high tides of 7+ ft. It also bring the lowest tides, making it perfect for tide pooling.
While the term “King Tide” isn’t a scientific term, it is used to describe very high tides, caused when there is alignment of the gravitational pull between sun, moon, and Earth. When King Tides occur during floods or storms, water levels can rise higher and have the potential to cause great damage to the coastline and coastal property.
King Tides:
- occur naturally and regularly,
- are predictable and expected, and
- are not an everyday occurrence.
Watch this video from the Exploratorium explaining King Tides. Learn more here
Sea Ranch Tide Pools
The environment you and your child will be exploring in The Sea Ranch tide pools is the rocky intertidal habitat. Specifically, the term ‘intertidal’ refers to the area between the lowest low tides and the highest high tides. Consequently, this is where tide pools naturally form, creating a unique and ever-changing ecosystem to discover.
A tide pool is a puddle of water remaining in the crevices and indentations of the shoreline rocks when the ocean recedes. This occurs as the tide turns from high tide to low tide. The ocean’s tides change twice a day. The seawater that is trapped can be either small, shallow puddles found high up on the shore, or huge, deep holes nearer to the sea. As the tides flow out ocean plants (flora) and sea animals (fauna) that make the intertidal zone their home or “habitat” remain exposed to the air or captured in nature’s mini-aquariums.
Tide pools are located in the “intertidal zones.” These are the areas hidden under the water by the sea at high tides, during storms, and may receive spray from wave action.
Coastal areas with tide pools have…
- Rocky shorelines that are hard enough to resist the weathering forces of the waves, and
- Wave action by the sea that has enough energy to carry away the sand that would otherwise fill the pools.
Mendonoma Coast (the coastline between Mendocino and Sonoma Counties) and Sea Ranch have both! But its steep cliffs often make it a challenge to get to the beaches and Sea Ranch tide pools.
Where Can You Find Sea Ranch Tide Pools?
Luckily Sea Ranch has made many of its beaches accessible for you and your child by building staircases to them. Others require a bit more skill to climb down and back up
Maps of the trails to the various beaches at Sea Ranch are available for guests staying at Abalone Bay. You may also purchase trail maps at The Sea Ranch Association Office.
Public beach access is offered at:
- Bluff Top Trail – 3 miles one way – Runs along the headlands from Walk On Beach to Gualala Point Regional Park.
- Walk on Beach Trail – .25 miles one way – Passes through a large Monterey cypress grove to a quarter-mile beach reached by a bluff-top staircase.
- Shell Beach Trail – .65 miles one way – Runs through pines and meadow to a wide, sandy beach with sea rocks and tide pools. Small boats can be carried to the ocean via a beach ramp.
- Stengel Beach Trail – .12 miles one way – Short path lined with cypress trees leads to a wooden staircase and a small beach. Look for seasonal waterfalls on the cliffs. Stengel has the largest parking area of the public trails, with room for a dozen cars.
- Pebble Beach Trail – .27 miles one way – Weaves through pines and meadow to a sandy cove reached by stairs.
- Black Point Trail – .25 miles one way – Crosses the bluffs to a long, curving beach reached by a steep staircase.
Private beach access:
Smuggler’s Cove and Ohlson Beach beaches are closest to Abalone Bay. Each has staircase access. Beach accesses to these beaches are limited to Sea Ranch owners and their guests (including Abalone Bay vacation rental guests).
Just before Smugglers Cove, and just outside of the protected Marine Habitat is a rocky intertidal flat where we often explore tide pools and fish.
Again a very serious word of caution –
This area can be slippery and dangerous. I would not recommend this area for small children unless accompanied by an adult hand-in-hand
What equipment is needed?
Equipment to explore tide pools is very simple:
- shoes that gripe the wet rocks (old tennis shoes ),
- a current tide book
- an inquiring mind
To make a day of it consider packing a picnic.
And don’t forget your camera to record the expressions of delight when your child first encounters a starfish or perhaps a small octopus. We’d love to have you share those photos too! Just leave us a comment below or share them on our Facebook page.
How to Explore the shoreline with an “Underwater Viewer”
National Geographic offers a series of Family Challenges to encourage families to get outside and explore the amazing biodiversity of microhabitats through crafts and save-the-Earth tips. Specifically, their second challenge highlights the importance of the shoreline, which not only provides an active habitat for wildlife but also contributes to the stability of the water’s edge. Moreover, the challenge’s DIY project engages kids by helping them create an underwater viewer, allowing them to explore this vital microhabitat up close. It also focuses on sharing with kids the importance of the shoreline, which provides an active habitat for wildlife and provides stability to the water’s edge. To learn how to make this clever viewer whether on vacation or at home click here.
California Junior Ranger Tide Pool Videos, Virtual Walks, and Scavenger Hunts
California State Parks has created some new and exciting learning experiences including Junior Ranger videos, virtual walks, and scavenger hunts. Visit the links below and explore the bounty of opportunities available. While these videos show case a southern California beach, the information and learning from it is applicable to our own beaches in Sea Ranch and elsewhere.
Learn more here.
Share your experiences!
Do you have any handy tips to share? We’d love to hear what you have done to make exploring Sea Ranch’s tide pools fun and memorable activity for you and your children. Please post them below along with your photos. We’d love to chat with you about your excursions and discoveries on Facebook too!
Other North Coast State Parks with Opportunities for Viewing Tide Pools
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
Teaching Tools for Tide Pools
Ups and Downs: What Causes Tides
A Guide to the Side of the Sea – California State Parks
Tide Pool Ecology – California State Parks – State of California
Ocean Tide Pools for Grades PreK-2 – Home Science Tools
California Tidepools on the App Store on iTunes – Apple
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