WEST SEATTLE BEACHES: Low-low tide time
That’s what we saw at Lincoln Park this afternoon, right as the low tide was receding to -2.6 feet before 1 pm. Saturday, it was almost that low, with a Seattle Parks tidepooling event at Charles Richey Viewpoint/Constellation Park (as featured in our daily list) – Ann Anderson sent photos and a recap:
Over 60 people turned out Saturday at Charles Richey Sr. Viewpoint’s Marine Reserve during a super low (-2.1) tide, to admire intertidal sea life along with Parks Dept staff and volunteers. A wide array of marine flora and fauna normally surrounded by 6-10 feet of water, was left exposed for viewing both on the beach and in-between the jetty rocks. Giovannina Souers, Environmental Education Program Supervisor at Camp Long (foreground in blue jacket), was helping people ID animals, answering a barrage of questions, and simultaneously helping to train new Urban Naturalists about tidepool life for the Parks Dept. Also on hand for the event were countless sea stars, as were Glaucous-winged Gulls who showed up to eat them for lunch.
If you can get out to a beach either or both of the next two afternoons, you can see afternoon low tides that will be even further out – -2.8 feet at 1:30 pm Monday, -2.7 feet at 2:18 pm Tuesday (here’s the chart). And the low tides will be even more impressive later in the spring/summer, including a -4.0 on the 4th of July.
It’s amazing what a gull can eat. One day at work my desk sat right at an awning cover level and a gull had a chicken thigh and swallowed it whole, it about freaked me out!
As I understand it there’s a lunar cycle which causes extreme low tides due to a slight wobble / tilt. Although this summer the tides won’t be quite as low as they were last summer next year It’s supposed to be even lower than last year with the lowest tides in nearly 20 years happening in the summer of 2025. It’s pretty incredible to experience super low tides as an adult that I have an experienced since I was a kid.
When the tides are really low, everywhere you walk out beyond the normal beach, you are walking on live animals who are hiding out in the sand, under small rocks or seaweed, or in their shells. They are trying to survive an extra-long period of sun and air exposure before the tide comes back in. Some you can see if you look; most you can’t -but they are there. Enjoy the show, but if you walk slowly and as lightly / gently as you possible, you will minimize harm to them. Also, when you slow down or stand in one place, you’ll also see twice as much once you start looking! As always, please touch critters as little as possible (they are already stressed) and please don’t move the animals from where you see them. It can often be a death sentence for them to be outside their little home areas – even a few feet.
If you are interested in coming on future programs with a Seattle Parks Environmental Educator, you can find all of our programs here – search Nature & the Environment Activity search | Seattle Parks and Recreation (activecommunities.com)If you would like to know more about the different types of programs we offer, visit our webpage ;-)Environmental Education & Outdoor Learning – Parks | seattle.govThanks for posting,Giovannina
How far does the private property line extend on beaches? Parks like 98th St and SW Brace Pt Drive allow public access to a narrow strip of beach.
Explained here:
https://smea.uw.edu/currents/public-beach-access/#:~:text=Where%20most%20states%20define%20the,to%20the%20low%20water%20mark.