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Playa Negra

Cantón San Cristóbal, Galápagos · Ecuador

What have people found?

Black-spotted cowrie, galápagos cerith and galápagos reef octopus turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Sally lightfoot crab, ecuadorian hermit crab and galapagos slate pencil urchin are the usual finds. ~50 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 Negra for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Novin the dark~0:00~12:00
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark~1:00~13:00
  3. Tue 17 Novin the dark~2:00~14:00

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 June and July.

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 Negra?

Species records from iNaturalist

Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsus
Ecuadorian Hermit CrabCoenobita compressus
Galapagos Slate Pencil UrchinEucidaris galapagensis
Red Sun StarHeliaster cumingi
Columbella fuscataColumbella fuscata
black-spotted cowriePseudozonaria nigropunctata
Fire Tentacle AnemoneBunodosoma grande
Plicopurpura columellarisPlicopurpura columellaris
Radsia sulcatusRadsia sulcatus
Lytechinus semituberculatusLytechinus semituberculatus
Galápagos Reef OctopusOctopus oculifer
Hexaplex princepsHexaplex princeps
American NipperGeograpsus lividus
Galápagos CerithCerithium adustum
Painted Ghost CrabOcypode gaudichaudii
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.