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Shelter Cove

Humboldt County, California · United States

What have people found?

Red sea urchin, blueband hermit crab and pacific rock crab turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Striped shore crab, ochre sea star and pacific purple sea urchin are the usual finds. ~97 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 5 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 Shelter Cove for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov8:291.2 min the dark21:370.2 m
  2. Mon 16 Nov9:521.1 min the dark22:260.2 m
  3. Tue 17 Nov11:171.0 min the dark23:150.3 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 May and June.

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 Shelter Cove?

Species records from iNaturalist

Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipes
Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceus
Pacific Purple Sea UrchinStrongylocentrotus purpuratus
Aggregating AnemoneAnthopleura elegantissima
Bat StarPatiria miniata
Gumboot ChitonCryptochiton stelleri
Giant Green AnemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica
Blueband Hermit CrabPagurus samuelis
Mossy ChitonMopalia muscosa
Black TegulaTegula funebralis
Red Sea UrchinMesocentrotus franciscanus
Gooseneck BarnaclePollicipes polymerus
Leather StarDermasterias imbricata
Pacific Rock CrabRomaleon antennarium
California MusselMytilus californianus
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.