← Rock Pool Directory/ United States/ West Beach

West Beach

Island County, Washington · United States

What have people found?

Winged kelp, rockweed isopod and graceful kelp crab turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Purple shore crab, aggregating anemone and gumboot chiton are the usual finds. ~115 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 3 years of observations.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

Predicted tide from PORT TOWNSEND, 13.2 kilometers away.

See low tide times at West Beach for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Novin the dark1:030.0 m
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark1:520.2 m
  3. Tue 17 Novin the dark2:440.4 min the dark18:371.5 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 May and July.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 350 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 West Beach?

Species records from iNaturalist

Purple Shore CrabHemigrapsus nudus
Aggregating AnemoneAnthopleura elegantissima
Gumboot ChitonCryptochiton stelleri
Frilled DogwinkleNucella lamellosa
Rockweed isopodPentidotea wosnesenskii
Bull KelpNereocystis luetkeana
Mossy ChitonMopalia muscosa
Feather Boa KelpEgregia menziesii
Red Rock CrabCancer productus
Painted AnemoneUrticina grebelnyi
Striped DogwinkleNucella ostrina
Graceful Kelp CrabPugettia gracilis
winged kelpAlaria marginata
Lined ChitonTonicella lineata
Yellow Shore CrabHemigrapsus oregonensis
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.