← Rock Pool Directory/ United States/ Pescadero Beach

Pescadero Beach

San Mateo County, California · United States

What have people found?

Green spongy cushion, sea palm and opalescent nudibranch turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Ochre sea star, striped shore crab and giant green anemone are the usual finds. ~193 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 8 years of observations.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

Predicted tide from Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay, 27.7 kilometers away.

See low tide times at Pescadero Beach for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov7:531.1 min the dark21:080.1 m
  2. Mon 16 Nov9:281.0 min the dark21:570.2 m
  3. Tue 17 Nov10:560.9 min the dark22:450.3 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?

JFMAMJJASOND

Most observations come from July and December.

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 Pescadero Beach?

Species records from iNaturalist

Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceus
Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipes
Giant Green AnemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica
California MusselMytilus californianus
By-the-wind SailorVelella velella
Sunburst AnemoneAnthopleura sola
Aggregating AnemoneAnthopleura elegantissima
Black TegulaTegula funebralis
Gooseneck BarnaclePollicipes polymerus
Dungeness CrabMetacarcinus magister
Pacific Rock CrabRomaleon antennarium
Feather Boa KelpEgregia menziesii
Opalescent NudibranchHermissenda opalescens
Sea PalmPostelsia palmiformis
green spongy cushionCodium setchellii
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.