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San Simeon

San Luis Obispo County, California · United States

What have people found?

Rough limpet, bat star and mossy chiton turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Giant green anemone, ochre sea star and gumboot chiton are the usual finds. ~98 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 Mansfield Cone, 48.7 kilometers away.

See low tide times at San Simeon for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov7:121.0 min the dark20:590.1 m
  2. Mon 16 Nov9:051.0 min the dark21:470.2 m
  3. Tue 17 Nov10:400.9 min the dark22:320.2 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 February and August.

What should you know before visiting?

Customer 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 San Simeon?

Species records from iNaturalist

Giant Green AnemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica
Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceus
Gumboot ChitonCryptochiton stelleri
Bat StarPatiria miniata
Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipes
Bull KelpNereocystis luetkeana
Sunburst AnemoneAnthopleura sola
California MusselMytilus californianus
Mossy ChitonMopalia muscosa
Giant KelpMacrocystis pyrifera
Gooseneck BarnaclePollicipes polymerus
Feather Boa KelpEgregia menziesii
Pacific Purple Sea UrchinStrongylocentrotus purpuratus
Black TegulaTegula funebralis
Rough LimpetLottia scabra
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.