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Fort Matanzas National Monument

Saint Johns County, Florida · United States

What have people found?

Bruised nassa, angelwing and atlantic sand fiddler crab turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Cannonball jelly, long-claw hermit crab and atlantic ghost crab are the usual finds. ~161 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 2 years of observations.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

See low tide times at Fort Matanzas National Monument for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Novin the dark5:440.3 min the dark18:570.3 m
  2. Mon 16 Nov6:410.3 min the dark19:470.3 m
  3. Tue 17 Nov7:440.4 min the dark20:380.3 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 January and March.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 200 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 Fort Matanzas National Monument?

Species records from iNaturalist

Cannonball JellyStomolophus meleagris
Long-claw Hermit CrabPagurus longicarpus
Atlantic Ghost CrabOcypode quadrata
Atlantic Sand Fiddler CrabLeptuca pugilator
Thinstripe Hermit CrabClibanarius vittatus
Shark EyeNeverita duplicata
Blood ArkLunarca ovalis
Atlantic Blue CrabCallinectes sapidus
Eastern OysterCrassostrea virginica
Giant Atlantic CockleDinocardium robustum
Incongruous ArkAnadara brasiliana
Speckled Swimming CrabArenaeus cribrarius
AngelwingCyrtopleura costata
Ragged SeahareBursatella leachii
Bruised NassaPhrontis vibex
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.