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Cayucos State Beach

San Luis Obispo County, California · United States

What have people found?

Hilton's aeolid, hopkins' rose nudibranch and spotted dorid turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Striped shore crab, sunburst anemone and gumboot chiton are the usual finds. ~224 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 4 years of observations.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

Predicted tide from PORT SAN LUIS, 34.3 kilometers away.

See low tide times at Cayucos State Beach for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov7:011.1 min the dark20:510.2 m
  2. Mon 16 Nov8:581.1 min the dark21:420.2 m
  3. Tue 17 Nov10:310.9 min the dark22:260.2 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 March and May.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 300 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 Cayucos State Beach?

Species records from iNaturalist

Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipes
Sunburst AnemoneAnthopleura sola
Gumboot ChitonCryptochiton stelleri
Hilton's AeolidPhidiana hiltoni
Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceus
Opalescent NudibranchHermissenda opalescens
Bat StarPatiria miniata
San Diego DoridDiaulula sandiegensis
Giant KelpMacrocystis pyrifera
Hopkins' Rose NudibranchCeratodoris rosacea
By-the-wind SailorVelella velella
Gooseneck BarnaclePollicipes polymerus
Black TegulaTegula funebralis
Giant Green AnemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica
Spotted DoridTriopha maculata
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.