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Hippo Pools

Western Cape · South Africa

What have people found?

Eightshell barnacle, red sea star and zebra agate snail turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Sea bamboo, cape sea urchin and brown mussel are the usual finds. ~70 distinct species have been recorded here.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

See low tide times at Hippo Pools for the next three days
  1. Sun 15 Nov~12:30
  2. Mon 16 Novin the dark~0:30~13:30
  3. Tue 17 Novin the dark~2:00~15:30

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 April and December.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 600 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 Hippo Pools?

Species records from iNaturalist

Sea bambooEcklonia maxima
Cape sea urchinParechinus angulosus
Brown MusselPerna perna
South African TurbanTurbo sarmaticus
Red Rock CrabGuinusia chabrus
Spiny StarfishMarthasterias africana
False Plum AnemonePseudactinia flagellifera
duck's foot limpetScutellastra longicosta
Grey Volcano BarnacleTetraclita serrata
Zebra Agate SnailCochlitoma zebra
Indo-Pacific Man-O-WarPhysalia utriculus
Common OctopusOctopus vulgaris
Eightshell BarnacleOctomeris angulosa
Red Sea StarCallopatiria granifera
sandy anemoneBunodactis reynaudi
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.