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Playa Islita

Guanacaste · Costa Rica

What have people found?

Similar cardita shell, thorn latirus and lumpy claw crab turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Ecuadorian hermit crab, nicaragua sea hare and sally lightfoot crab are the usual finds. ~61 distinct species have been recorded here.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

See low tide times at Playa Islita for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov~12:30
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark~0:30~13:00
  3. Tue 17 Novin the dark~1:30~14:00

Every low tide each day, in local time at the shore.

Plan the week in Intertidal
  • A tide chart for every day, with the best window marked
  • Identify what you find from a photo
  • An alert when a good daylight low is coming

When do people visit?

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Most observations come from January and February.

What should you know before visiting?

Arrive 45 minutes to an hour before low tide and leave as it turns. The water comes back faster than it left.
Grippy shoes beat sandals. Wet rock and algae are more slippery than they look. Rock pool safety
A rock pool is a fragile place. Look and photograph, take nothing. The rockpooling code

What lives at Playa Islita?

Species records from iNaturalist

Ecuadorian Hermit CrabCoenobita compressus
Nicaragua sea hareDolabrifera nicaraguana
Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsus
Diomedes' SapsuckerElysia diomedea
Halloween CrabHartnollius quadratus
Giant False LimpetSiphonaria gigas
Chama coralloidesChama coralloides
Stokes's ChitonChiton stokesii
Lumpy Claw CrabEriphia squamata
Similar Cardita ShellCarditamera affinis
Ischnochiton disparIschnochiton dispar
Rough-ribbed NeriteNerita scabricosta
Thorn LatirusOpeatostoma pseudodon
Short-tooth Thorn DrupeAcanthais brevidentata
Nerita funiculataNerita funiculata
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.