Best Tide Pools in Southern California and When to Go

Go on a negative low tide, an hour before the lowest point.

The lowest daytime tides fall on winter afternoons and on spring and summer mornings. Use NOAA tide predictions for the nearest station.

Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma has pools on its western shore with anemones, owl limpets, sea hares and occasional octopuses.

There is an entrance fee, and the tide pool area has shorter hours than the monument. Check the NPS Cabrillo page for hours and ranger programs.

• Best for: families and first-timers
• Nearby: Old Point Loma Lighthouse and the harbor overlook
• Collecting or moving anything is prohibited

The reef below the Scripps Coastal Reserve around Dike Rock is the main spot. The rocks near Children’s Pool and along the coast walk also have pools at low tide.

The water off La Jolla Cove is a state marine reserve. My things to do in La Jolla guide covers the Cove and food.

Crystal Cove State Park has pools near Reef Point and Pelican Point. The Beachcomber in the historic cottage district serves breakfast and lunch.

Most of Laguna Beach’s coast is a marine protected area. Treasure Island Beach, Shaw’s Cove, Heisler Park and Woods Cove are the main spots.

• Crystal Cove: Reef Point and Pelican Point
• Laguna Beach: Treasure Island, Shaw’s Cove, Heisler Park and Woods Cove
• Corona del Mar: Little Corona del Mar Beach

Abalone Cove’s beaches, tide pools and beach trails have been closed since July 2024 because of the Portuguese Bend landslide. The bluff-top park is open.

Alternatives are Point Fermin and White Point in San Pedro and Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes Estates. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium runs guided walks at Point Fermin.

Leo Carrillo State Park has reefs and a walk-through sea cave at low tide. Point Dume has pools below its cliffs at the west end of Westward Beach.

Arrive early on weekends.

In Encinitas, the reef below Swami’s, near the Self-Realization Fellowship gardens, exposes a wide rocky shelf in a marine conservation area. Access is by a long staircase.

Cardiff State Beach, just south, has more room. My Orange County to San Diego drive maps the coast.

Common species:

• Giant green and aggregating anemones
• Ochre sea stars and bat stars
• Hermit crabs and striped shore crabs
• California sea hares
• Owl limpets, chitons and turban snails
• Nudibranchs, especially in winter
• Two-spot octopus in crevices

Step only on bare rock or sand, never on mussels, anemones or barnacles.

To see the coast from the water, my La Jolla and Channel Islands sea kayaking guide covers tours from La Jolla Shores.

• Wear shoes with grip
• Watch the incoming tide and plan your exit
• Never remove shells, animals or rocks
• Put turned rocks back exactly
• Keep children close on wet rock