tidepooling

West Cliff Drive

The Surf Museum at Lighthouse Point.

A 2.5-mile bike and pedestrian path skirting the cliffs.

Life in the Intertidal Zone

Bat star in a tide pool. Credit: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Editor's note: The next king tide in the Santa Cruz area takes place on Friday, Feb. 9. Tide pool viewing will be extra-good from Wednesday through the weekend.

Life and Death in The Intertidal Zone

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A healthy purple ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus). Photo courtesy Monica Moritsch

As the mysterious sea star wasting syndrome shows, life ebbs and flows in the tide pools around Santa Cruz.

Purple Sea Urchin

Purple sea urchins are found in the tidepools and kelp forests of the Pacific Coast. Photo by David Monniaux on Wikimedia Commons.

Cousin of sea stars, favorite meal of otters.

10 Tips for Happy Tidepooling

A sea star gets cozy next to some sea anemones in an intertidal pool.

Because sea stars, anemones and chitons are really good at hiding.

Natural Bridges State Beach

The last remaining "natural bridge." Photo credit: Eugene Zelenko/Creative Commons.

Possibly the ultimate Santa Cruz beach.

Greyhound Rock

Looking down on long Greyhound Rock from the Highway 1 bluffs. Photo by Finitor on flickr.

Secluded coves and tidepooling on the North Coast.

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