At low tide, the Olympic coast's rocky benches expose tide pools rich with intertidal life, including sea stars, sea anemones, hermit crabs, mussels, and barnacles. These organisms are adapted to survive the twice-daily cycle of submersion and exposure to air, sun, and wave force. The park asks visitors to observe without touching or removing animals from this fragile zone.
When you do get down onto one of these beaches, kneel at the low-tide line and a whole second world opens up. The rocks lay bare little pools left behind by the sea, and they're crowded with the strangest neighbors: spiny urchins wedged in crevices, mussels clamped tight in black beards, gooseneck barnacles ticking as the water drains, a shy fish darting under a ledge. Everything in there has worked out how to survive being underwater half the day and high and dry the other half. Look but go gentle. It's a hard living they make on that rock.
Photo: James St. John · CC BY 2.0
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