Laguna Beach tide pools

What lives in the pools

Laguna Beach has a long rocky shoreline, and the city describes it as abundant rocky intertidal habitat. At low tide the reefs drain into pools that hold animals adapted to being wet one hour and dry the next. Laguna Ocean Foundation sorts them by height on the rock: striped shore crabs and periwinkle snails in the spray zone, mussels and purple urchins higher up, chestnut cowries and hermit crabs in the middle, and chitons, sea hares, brittle stars and two-spot octopuses at the low edge.

California Fish and Wildlife lists tide pool residents of the Laguna reserve as Kellet’s whelks, top snails, limpets, anemones and small fishes.

When to go

The tide sets the visit. The city says low tide is the time for tide pooling and tells you to read a tide chart first. Laguna Ocean Foundation recommends tide pooling when low tide is below +2.0 feet and names a negative low tide with calm surf as the best case. For Rockpile, the city singles out lower tides in the winter months.

NOAA’s nearest prediction station to Laguna Beach is Newport Bay Entrance at Corona del Mar, up the coast. Its table gives predicted heights in feet above mean lower low water, so a listing of 0.0 or a minus number is a low tide worth planning around. The foundation also posts a tide level for each of its eight spots: 2 feet or lower at north Crescent Bay and Wood’s Cove, and 2.5 feet or lower at the others.

Where to go

North Laguna coves

Crescent Bay has rock at both ends. The foundation rates the north side advanced and the south side moderate, with access by the stairs or ramp at Cliff Drive and Circle Way. Shaw’s Cove sits below Fairview Street; the foundation rates its south side beginner to moderate and its north side moderate to advanced. At Picnic Beach, the city points to the table rock area, which turns hazardous in high tides and surf. The south rocks close in large surf or high tide.

Rockpile Beach sits at the south end of Heisler Park. At extremely low tides you can get close to Bird Rock, a bird sanctuary the city says is off limits to people.

Main Beach to Thalia Street

The city names Main Beach among its popular tide pool spots, with rock at the north end near Bird Rock. South of it, the Coastal Commission lists tide pools and wildlife viewing along the stretch from Sleepy Hollow through Cleo Street and St. Ann’s Street to Thalia Street. Stair access at these street ends can change, so read each beach page before you go.

Pearl Street, Woods Cove and south

The city lists tide pooling at Pearl Street and Woods Cove. At Woods Cove the foundation rates the north side advanced and gives access from Diamond Street or Pearl Street. The city asks you to check with a lifeguard before exploring the northern rocks, and it bans diving or jumping off any of them.

Treasure Island is rated beginner by the foundation, with stairs or a ramp along the Treasure Island Park trail. Goff Island, at the end of that trail, is a moderate spot. If a harbor seal is sunbathing near it, the foundation says to stay back at least 150 feet. At the south end of town, Aliso Beach has tide pools inside a no-take conservation area.

Reserve rules

Three state areas cover the Laguna Beach shoreline. The Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve runs from Abalone Point south to Goff Island. The Laguna Beach State Marine Conservation Area runs from Goff Island to Table Rock. In both, the rule is the same: it is unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource. The Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area begins south of Table Rock; it allows some fishing but says taking living marine resources from tide pools is prohibited. The marine reserves page has the boundaries.

The city’s Good Tide Pooler Rules are short:

• Never remove animals, shells or rocks.
• Never pick up or touch animals; watch them where they are.
• Walk gently and avoid stepping on plants or animals.
• Never turn over rocks.

Staying safe

The city says the rocks that make the beaches pretty are also dangerous, and that waves have swept people off their feet. Keep your eyes on the water and do not turn your back to it. Wear water shoes, closed-toe sandals or sneakers; the foundation advises against bare feet and flip-flops because of sharp rocks. It also says not to run from a wave, since you are more likely to trip and get hurt running than standing your ground and getting wet. If lifeguards post a “Rocks closed” sign, tide pooling is not allowed until it comes down. Ask the lifeguard on arrival whether the rocks are open. The city notes that not every beach has a lifeguard at all times.

Guides and school groups

Laguna Ocean Foundation’s tidepool biologists and Tidewater Docents give free education at the foundation’s locations, and the foundation also offers private and custom outings led by biologists. K-12 school groups that want a tide pool field trip need an Educator Use Form from the city’s Marine Safety Department.

Parking, stairs and dogs differ by beach; each beach page covers them, and the parking guide covers permits and lots.