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Playa Matapalito

Puerto Jiménez, Puntarenas · Costa Rica

What have people found?

Short-tooth thorn drupe, pyramid sea star and stokes's chiton turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Ecuadorian hermit crab, halloween crab and rough-ribbed nerite are the usual finds. ~28 distinct species have been recorded here. More has been recorded at Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, 57 kilometers away.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

See low tide times at Playa Matapalito for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Novin the dark~0:00~12:30
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark~1:00~13:00
  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 November.

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 Matapalito?

Species records from iNaturalist

Ecuadorian Hermit CrabCoenobita compressus
Halloween CrabHartnollius quadratus
Rough-ribbed NeriteNerita scabricosta
Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsus
Echinolittorina asperaEchinolittorina aspera
Stokes's ChitonChiton stokesii
Short-tooth Thorn DrupeAcanthais brevidentata
Nerita funiculataNerita funiculata
Pyramid Sea StarPharia pyramidata
Nicaragua sea hareDolabrifera nicaraguana
Central American Rock-boring UrchinEchinometra vanbrunti
Giant False LimpetSiphonaria gigas
Cloudy Bubble SnailBulla gouldiana
Painted Ghost CrabOcypode gaudichaudii
Nut ConeConus nux
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.