If you’re lucky enough to be near the Oregon coast at very low tide, pull on some warm clothes and hit the beach! You’ll want to head out to the point where the rocks meet the sand — that’s where you’re likely to find some great Oregon tide pools for exploring. Once you start poking around, you never know what you might find.

Anemones

Giant green anemones are definitely the drama queens of the Oregon anemone family, all neon-green tentacles in vibrant rings. But if you want to see them in all their glory, you have to catch them under water – otherwise, they just look like pendulous blobs huddled on the rocks.

Some rocks are absolutely covered with them:

Then you have aggregating anemones. These little greenish-brown masses are not as sexy as the great green guys, perhaps, but they have their own charm. The tiny bits of rock and shell that stick to their columns act as pretty wonderful camouflage.

Sea Stars

Ochre stars seem to be everywhere – on the beach, on the rocks, curled among the anemones.

They look quite innocuous until you see a gang of them in the act of prying open mussels for breakfast:

You might also run across a sunflower star. This one, sadly, did not fare well – and while we can’t be sure what happened here, it’s worth knowing that an epidemic called sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS), which may be tied to rising water temperatures, has killed countless sea stars in the Pacific Northwest.

There are lots of other sea stars with fabulous names (sun star, blood star), so keep your eyes out!

Sponges

You’re most likely to encounter purple encrusting sponge (aka purple intertidal sponge), which forms mounds along many sections of rock (or, in this case, over empty giant barnacle shells). It’s hard to miss.

I’m not sure if the orange stuff on the rock below is a sponge or something else entirely. If you happen to know, please leave a comment!

Barnacles

It’s hard to believe that these pointy structures are related to crabs and lobsters, but the casings above actually belong to a crustacean called an acorn barnacle. Ditto for the gooseneck barnacles below:

Tips for Exploring Oregon Tide Pools

I found all of these at Oceanside Beach, just opposite the Three Arches at super-low tide.

If you do go out, pay attention to the tide charts – the lower, the better, if you want to find creatures. But the minute the tide starts coming back in, turn back around!

Tips for Visiting Oregon Tide Pools

• Wear warm clothes, put on sturdy shoes, and plan to get your feet wet.
• Check the tide charts near you — the lower the tide, the better.
• Avoid tuoching the animals, and don’t remove them from the rocks.
• Please don’t take any critters home.

Further Reading

• To explore all of these critters (and more) in far more detail, I’d recommend both theoutershores and Exploring Rocky Shores of Southern Oregon Coast.
• If you love Oregon’s natural wonders, the High Desert Museumin Bend offers another side of the state’s ecosystem—from live wildlife exhibits to hands-on natural history displays.
• If you’re interested in how different intertidal zones can be, I’ve also written about intertidal walks in tropical Singapore — both at Pulau Hantu and at Changi Beach Park.