Night Tides

Up until this point we did not have very many opportunities to relax at the beach. After a day full of tide pooling followed by lectures and dinner we decided, as a group, to grab our head lamps and make our way to the shore. Expecting the ocean to be at our feet when we arrived so we could layout and chill we were surprised to see that it was no where in sight. During the new moon the tides are at their most extreme, we experienced this during the day as nearly a mile of ocean floor was exposed for us to explore. Tiny pools of water filled with snails, crabs, fish, sea stars, and other creatures littered the land scape. Though most creatures were hidden under rocks and coral avoiding the sun, the tide pools still hinted at life. Myself and another student took the opportunity of a second low tide to make our way to the ocean following the same paths we took earlier that morning. After about 20 minutes of walking and a few dunks in the tide pools, we finally found the shore line. In our determination to make it to the ocean we paid little attention to what was going on in the tide pools. This was not the case on the trek back, the tide pools had come to life. At night the Hermit crabs crawled around in search for food, sea anemones swayed back and forth catching little particles as they drifted by, and fish of all shapes and colors dashed around under the light of our head lamps. As we walked we heard a sucking sound, I moved my head lamp down and saw an octopus attempting to escape, no doubt to find another tide pool in search for prey. I yelled “OCTOPUS” and the group that chose to stay on the beach ran towards us. It was mesmerized by the light for only a few minutes before sinking back into the pool and attempting to camouflage its self. I never expected how active the tide pools can be at night. Our need to spend some time chilling at the beach lead to this discovery and it turned out to be a way better outcome then laying out on a towel while sand made its way into places you’d rather it not be.