Tide pools are the small basins in rock that keep water when the tide goes out. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach has one of the best such habitats in northern California, and the state has identified it as one of 34 coastal areas of Special Biological Significance.
Sea urchins, sea anemones, hermit crabs and many other intertidal species live there. Because collectors and researchers once took so much from the shore, the state made it a reserve in 1969 to protect the plants and animals that remain.
Check the tide tables before you go, because the pools are best seen at low tide, and watch for waves that can break over the rocks.
More on this site: the beaches