Tidepools at Sandy Beach
January 28th, 2008
One of our favorite weekend activities is to go to the tidepools and check out the critters that live there. Once in a while we’ll even catch some to take home for our saltwater tank. The tidepools at Sandy Beach on the eastern side of the island are a great place to go since there is a large flat area of pools that are out of the reach of the big waves. This makes it safe for young children as long as you don’t venture out near the shorebreak. Hermit crabs and goby fish are very common at Sandy Beach but you can also find more exotic things including sea cucumbers, brittle starfish, sea urchins and a variety of juvenille reef fish.
On a recent visit we discovered a family of sea hares (similar to slugs) that were bigger than our hands and squirted water at us when lifted out of the water! Our daughter was fascinated with them and enjoyed touching them but her brother was having none of it. Little panty boy wouldn’t even go near it. Hermit crabs are more his speed, but even those elicit shrieks from him. Whose child is he?
There are plenty of small pools to explore and there are also large ones where you can sit and enjoy the waves that come lapping in. On our last trip our daughter happily spent her time sitting in a tidepool making little “houses” for the hermit crabs she found, moving them from rock to rock - all while making polite small talk with them. I’m sure they were thrilled to death with the attention. If you do go tidepooling at Sandy Beach just make sure you bring lots of sunscreen since there are no shaded areas and wear appropriate footwear as the rocks can be quite sharp if you fall. And don’t forget your pail and maybe a small net to collect and examine the creatures you come across!
4 Responses to “Tidepools at Sandy Beach”
KeikiGifts February 27th, 2008 at 4:14 pm #
Found your blog while I should have been doing the laundry. This turned out to be more entertaining so the laundry needs to wait. We always talk about going to the tide pools but we haven’t done that lately…looks like soo much fun. Now I know what we have been missing!
Busymama Karen February 27th, 2008 at 5:47 pm #
Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon especially if you are looking for an excuse to forget the laundry. We do that a lot around here!
koala brains September 14th, 2008 at 6:41 pm #
I went there on a field trip when I was little and I remember it vividly. We dug a big “pool” in the sand and put down a big plastic sheet, filled with a layer of sand, then filled it w/ water from the ocean and placed found creatures into it so we could all observe our catch. The BEST field trip ever. Thanks for reminding me of it!
BusyMamas September 15th, 2008 at 6:19 pm #
That’s a great idea, I shall remember that the next time we hit Sandy Beach. The only drawback to going there is it’s so HOT! When my son was young we’d take him in the baby carrier and we would both cook!