Tide Pools

SunDevil

Guest
I have a 4 year old and would love to take her someplace where there are some good tide pools for a fun marine exploring experience. I grew up spending my time in San Carlos and know where to go there but am looking for some places to go in PP. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Start off by going to the Cet Mar Aquarium....at the entrance to Los Conchas. Then there is a tide pool behind Vina Del Mar hotel off the Malecon.....also wait for low tide off Sandy Beach or the beaches off the Mirador....plenty of exploring can be done there.

I'm sure Mark (Seadweller) can pipe in with some better locations....
 
Joe you pretty much covered it... I like the tide pools in front of "Playa de Oro RV Park" on the Mirador... Cholla Bay is also a wonderful place to explore at low tide you can also find some clams while you're out there... There is one thing you should be very careful of out in Cholla Bay, the last couple times I have been out there I have been noticing more and more living "CONE" shells... there is no anti-venom for the sting from a "CONE" shell...

I'm not trying to be an alarmist... they wont attack you... you wont get stung if you step on one... I pick them up all the time, but never hold it end to end, always hold it by the sides... the danger is if you find one, and let's say, put it in you pocket or a child holds it in a clenched fist there is a chance of getting stung... CONE shells are very common and probably in everyones shell collection, you only need to be careful with the live CONES, they have darker coloration...
 
You might even see one of these guys out in Cholla Bay if you know where to look...

[video=youtube;Rl7X54FR1sk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl7X54FR1sk[/video]
 

InkaRoads

cronopiador
Mark, do you have a picture of the "cone" shell or the technical name of it, I think it will be very helpful for many off us to have, specially for families with kids. I guess I just had to do a search in the name and found many.
 
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Cabo

Spanish Mackerrel
Sea, thanks for the information. I did not know what you were refering to, so I wiki-it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conus

Wanted to know what a conus looked like. I never knew, I thought you refered to the long spirals that are so common.
I have seen many and never knew they were dangerous. <They are all venomous to one degree or another. The larger species hunt fish using harpoon-like teeth and a poison gland. The smaller ones hunt and eat marine worms.>
 

Cabo

Spanish Mackerrel
Pretty Sea bee.

Very interesting the "cone" very pretty colors.
It is like a sea "bee".

It has venom, a toxin used to hunt its prey.

Good to know.
 
Inks... after they die they resemble the second photo (Conus nobilis skinneri da Motta) of the one in the first link that you posted... when they are alive they have a darker coloration and are very simular to the one in the wiki link...

Cabo... the long spiral shells are called an auger... and yes that is exactly what I was refering to about getting stung, when you mentioned the "harpoon-like teeth and a poison gland"

A good guide book to carry in your beach bag especially if you have children is the "Pieces Guide to Venomous & Toxic Marine Life of the World" another good book to have for animal identification is "Sea of Cortez Marine Animals" writen by Daniel W. Gotshall
 

Cabo

Spanish Mackerrel
OK.. thanks.

Sea Sir. (All Knowing on sand bars in Northern Sea of CorteZ,)

Is there any mollusk, clams, urchin ... fish.. in Cholla bay
that could hurt you? at worst, kill an allergic child?
Poisonous animals? snakes, worms?

Sponges that you should not touch?
 
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there are many sea creatures that can inflict severe pain and or more serious reactions to adults and children... I would be sure that young children don't touch any living sea creatures, especially if they have allergic reactions to things like bee stings... because many have simular stings and can cause anaphylactic shock...

the "Pieces Guide to Venomous & Toxic Marine Life of the World" not only identifies which animals are dangerous but will also offer first aid to treat the treatable stings and bites
 
Boy it sounds as those little guys can be real pain givers. Also strange that the toxin can be used for pain control and is 1000 times stonger than morophine.
 

Cabo

Spanish Mackerrel
too many squigly lines?
Happy : )
not ~~~

he was making everyone sea sick with the ~ ~ ~ ~ .... puke
 
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Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Well, I guess Happy must of thought it was time to be banned again. I deleted one of his posts yesterday (it was inappropriate), but left it at that. Tyler must have picked up where I left off. So be it - 10 days in the hole.
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
Stingray, in the hand. Didn't see it because it was buried in the sand. I accidentally brushed my hand over it in shallow water when I was just starting to swim to deeper water. Even had heavy leather gloves on. Also been stung by an agua mal (man o' war) when I swam into a broken off piece of tentacle a couple times. Pretty common in Rocky Point in the warm months. Only other thing I've ever been stung by is sea nettles - the invisible kind. You don't even see those, just feel the stinging. They are some kind of small plankton critter or tiny jellyfish.

Some of the tide pools along the Miramar are pretty large. At low tide, after the sediment settles, you can snorkel in them and see lots of neat critters that aren't obvious just by poking around up on top. Brittle stars, octopus, nudibranch, gobies, tube worms -- literally all kinds of colorful and interesting stuff.
 
Stingray, in the hand. Didn't see it because it was buried in the sand. I accidentally brushed my hand over it in shallow water when I was just starting to swim to deeper water. Even had heavy leather gloves on. Also been stung by an agua mal (man o' war) when I swam into a broken off piece of tentacle a couple times. Pretty common in Rocky Point in the warm months. Only other thing I've ever been stung by is sea nettles - the invisible kind. You don't even see those, just feel the stinging. They are some kind of small plankton critter or tiny jellyfish.

Some of the tide pools along the Miramar are pretty large. At low tide, after the sediment settles, you can snorkel in them and see lots of neat critters that aren't obvious just by poking around up on top. Brittle stars, octopus, nudibranch, gobies, tube worms -- literally all kinds of colorful and interesting stuff.
Fortunately I haven't had a stingray "hit", although I have seen enough people over the years. I did get stung by something while swimming off sandy beach a few years ago....brushed my hand against some sea weed....and had a burning sensation on my thumb, and then the pain started going up my arm and across my chest.....scared the $%#%^ out of me....used some benadryl on the sting area and took a benadryl tablet....took a few hours before the pain went away. Never did figure out what it was.....
 
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