Playa Chica

What have people found?

Wavy bubble snail, variable sea cucumber and brown-lined paperbubble turn up here more than at our other tide pools. East atlantic sally lightfoot crab, pale anemone and nimble spray crab are the usual finds. ~81 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 Chica for the next three days
  1. Sun, Nov 15~10:30 AMin the dark~10:30 PM
  2. Mon, Nov 16~11:30 AMin the dark~11:30 PM
  3. Tue, Nov 17~1:00 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 July and August.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 350 feet 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. Tide pool safety
A tide pool is a fragile place. Look and photograph, take nothing. The tidepooling code

What lives at Playa Chica?

Species records from iNaturalist

East Atlantic Sally Lightfoot CrabGrapsus adscensionis
Pale AnemoneExaiptasia diaphana
Nimble Spray CrabPercnon gibbesi
Peltodoris punctiferaPeltodoris punctifera
Brown-lined PaperbubbleHydatina physis
Notodoris lanzarotensisNotodoris lanzarotensis
Mourgona borgniniiMourgona borgninii
Wavy Bubble SnailMicromelo undatus
Phorcus sauciatusPhorcus sauciatus
Black sea urchinArbacia lixula
Rockpool PrawnPalaemon elegans
Atlantic Purple Sea UrchinParacentrotus lividus
spotted seahareAplysia dactylomela
Variable Sea CucumberHolothuria sanctori
Clibanarius aequabilisClibanarius aequabilis
Scan this tide pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.