← Rock Pool Directory/ United Kingdom/ Seaham Beach

Seaham Beach

County Durham, England · United Kingdom

What have people found?

Black squat lobster, grey topshell and channelled wrack turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Velvet swimming crab, hermit crabs and rock gunnel are the usual finds. ~15 distinct species have been recorded here. More has been recorded at Whitley Bay, 26 kilometers away.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

Predicted tide for Seaham, from The UK Hydrographic Office.

See low tide times at Seaham Beach for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Novin the dark0:261.6 m12:352.1 m
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark1:121.8 m13:252.3 m
  3. Tue 17 Novin the dark2:092.0 m14:322.5 m

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 February and March.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 250 meters away.
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 Seaham Beach?

Species records from iNaturalist

Velvet Swimming CrabNecora puber
Hermit CrabsPaguroidea
Rock GunnelPholis gunnellus
European Green CrabCarcinus maenas
Common Hermit CrabPagurus bernhardus
Atlantic Beadlet AnemoneActinia equina
Knotted WrackAscophyllum nodosum
Common PeriwinkleLittorina littorea
Common Sea StarAsterias rubens
Edible CrabCancer pagurus
Atlantic DogwhelkNucella lapillus
Channelled WrackPelvetia canaliculata
Hairy Porcelain CrabPorcellana platycheles
Black Squat LobsterGalathea squamifera
Grey TopshellSteromphala cineraria
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.