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Playa Esterillos Oeste

Puntarenas · Costa Rica

What have people found?

Eastern pacific giant conch, pyramid sea star and painted ghost crab turn up here more than at our other tide pools. Ecuadorian hermit crab, giant false limpet and lumpy claw crab are the usual finds. ~31 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 Playa Esterillos Oeste for the next three days
  1. Sun, Nov 15~12:30 PM
  2. Mon, Nov 16in the dark~1:00 AM~1:00 PM
  3. Tue, Nov 17in the dark~1:30 AM~2:00 PM

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 June and December.

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. Tide pool safety
A tide pool is a fragile place. Look and photograph, take nothing. The tidepooling code

What lives at Playa Esterillos Oeste?

Species records from iNaturalist

Ecuadorian Hermit CrabCoenobita compressus
Giant False LimpetSiphonaria gigas
Lumpy Claw CrabEriphia squamata
Pyramid Sea StarPharia pyramidata
Painted Ghost CrabOcypode gaudichaudii
Eastern Pacific Giant ConchTitanostrombus galeatus
Diomedes' SapsuckerElysia diomedea
Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus grapsus
Blue Sea StarPhataria unifascialis
Short-tooth Thorn DrupeAcanthais brevidentata
Fissurella virescensFissurella virescens
Stokes's ChitonChiton stokesii
Little Deer CowryMacrocypraea cervinetta
Nicaragua sea hareDolabrifera nicaraguana
Calcinus obscurusCalcinus obscurus
Scan this tide pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.