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Friday Harbor Laboratories Biological Preserve

San Juan County, Washington · United States

What have people found?

Golden dirona, cross hydromedusa and hooded nudibranch turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Northern kelp crab, giant plumose anemone and egg-yolk jelly are the usual finds. ~374 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 7 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 Friday Harbor Laboratories Biological Preserve for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Novin the dark1:46−0.1 m
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark2:300.1 m
  3. Tue 17 Novin the dark3:160.3 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 April and October.

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 Friday Harbor Laboratories Biological Preserve?

Species records from iNaturalist

Northern Kelp CrabPugettia producta
Giant Plumose AnemoneMetridium farcimen
Egg-yolk JellyPhacellophora camtschatica
golden dironaDirona pellucida
Purple Shore CrabHemigrapsus nudus
Arctic Green Sea UrchinStrongylocentrotus droebachiensis
Horned NudibranchHermissenda crassicornis
Hooded NudibranchMelibe leonina
Graceful Decorator CrabOregonia gracilis
Painted AnemoneUrticina grebelnyi
Lined ChitonTonicella lineata
Cross HydromedusaMitrocoma cellularia
Bull KelpNereocystis luetkeana
Dock ShrimpPandalus danae
Northern Leopard DoridDiaulula odonoghuei
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.