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Santa Maria Beach

Marin County, California · United States

What have people found?

Button's banana slug, opalescent nudibranch and pacific rock crab turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Ochre sea star, giant green anemone and striped shore crab are the usual finds. ~105 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 6 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 Santa Maria Beach for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov8:151.2 min the dark21:240.1 m
  2. Mon 16 Nov9:441.1 min the dark22:130.2 m
  3. Tue 17 Nov11:081.0 min the dark23:000.3 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 April.

What should you know before visiting?

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 Santa Maria Beach?

Species records from iNaturalist

Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceus
Giant Green AnemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica
Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipes
Aggregating AnemoneAnthopleura elegantissima
Gooseneck BarnaclePollicipes polymerus
Mossy ChitonMopalia muscosa
California MusselMytilus californianus
Pacific Rock CrabRomaleon antennarium
Dungeness CrabMetacarcinus magister
Opalescent NudibranchHermissenda opalescens
Button's Banana SlugAriolimax buttoni
Northern Kelp CrabPugettia producta
Black TegulaTegula funebralis
Sunburst AnemoneAnthopleura sola
Feather Boa KelpEgregia menziesii
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.