Your Complete Guide To San Diego Tide Pools (All 21 of Them!)
Tide pooling is one of the best outings you can take the kids on. It's free, there's plenty of beach for the kids to run around and you'll breathe in some fresh ocean air. Oh and sea creatures & water are involved; which pretty much makes this is the perfect combination for a great outing with the kids.
This list has e-v-e-r-y single tide pooling spot in San Diego + how to get there! You'll find out which ones are best for kids, easiest to get to, the holy grail of tide pools that even long-time residents have never seen...and of course where to grab coffee and eat nearby. As usual, I've got you covered.
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Table of Contents
👉 Where To Go Tide Pooling in San Diego
🌊 WHAT IS TIDE POOLING
Head to the beach when the tide is out and see for yourself what kinds of cool creatures are left in the shallow pools of water left behind. Only a few places where underwater rock formations are exposed during low tide create these perfect little swimming pools for snails, crabs, anemones, starfish, limpets, mussels, barnacles, chitons and sometimes octopi. Every time you go will be different, so give it a try and see what you find.
🕰 WHEN TO GO TIDE POOLING
Only Go At Low Tide
Look up the tide charts to make sure it'll be a low tide when you get there. You can usually catch tide pools about 2 hours before (better) and an hour after the low tide. There are two low tides every day, generally about 11-13 hours apart.
When it comes to tide pools, you will always want to go when the ocean’s tides are at their lowest. Negative low tides are ideal, found in the mornings during the spring and during the afternoons come late fall/winter.
TIDE CHART: tideschart.com/United-States/California/San-Diego-County/San-Diego/
Winter Is The Best Time
The lowest tides are generally from November-March with a lot of minus tide levels during daylight hours. If you time it right, you could even get out there during a "King Tide"; which is a very low minus tide level! This is when the water will be waaaay out, leaving much more tide pools exposed than usual.
After A Winter Storm
The storm will blow extra sand out of the tide pools so more sea creatures will get left behind in them during the tides. ;)
🎒 WHAT TO BRING TIDE POOLING
Be prepared when you go tide pooling and you're more likely to end up having a better time. If you don't have the right shoes or sun protection, you won't be able to see or enjoy it as much.
Wear shorts & rain boots
The rain boots will protect your kids' feet and toes if they step on something sharp and will allow them to climb over rocks and slippery seaweed easily. At the very least they should wear water sandals like Tevas with straps over their feet so they don't slide out easily. Old sneakers are perfect if you don't mind getting them wet. Flip flops and bare feet aren't recommended.
Wear sunscreen, sunglasses & hats
Bring water with you onto the beach
Put these in the car: towels, a gallon of water, a change of clothes and shoes
You don't need to lug these to the beach with you so leave them in the car and change when you get back. The gallon of water is to rinse the sand off your legs. Use an old milk/water jug and keep it as your refill bottle to leave in the car for beach days.
Bring a First Aid Kit
There are lots of things to cut your feet on at the tide pools (hence the closed-toed shoes) and lots of germs and bacteria that could get into those cuts. Have some water to flush it out, antiseptic cleanser to kill any germs, antibiotic ointment to treat the cut and bandaids or gauze & tape to protect it.
Oh and don't forget a lollipop or small toy to distract the kids while you're cleaning them up. ;)
Bring a Trash Bag
If you find garbage on the beach or near the tide pools, clean it up and pack it out. Trash can hurt the creatures and marine life and it doesn't belong in their home.
✌️ ETIQUETTE & TIPS FOR TIDE POOLING
Touch Gently
Use the 2 finger touch rule and be gentle with these delicate creatures.
Don't Pick Anything Up
They're usually attached to the rocks and you could rip off their little suctions. Other animals live in a very small radius and return to the same spots everyday, if you take them away they may not be able to find their way back to their homes. If you do pick something up, be sure to put it back exactly where you found it.
Leave It There
Tide pools are a delicate ecosystem and these creatures help keep it balanced.
The collection of any natural item or living organism is strictly prohibited at all San Diego tide pools.
Watch Your Step and Watch the Ocean
Algae covered rocks and seaweed are slippery and there may be sea creatures on the ground next to your feet. Lots of the rocks are unstable and can twist when you step on them. Step lightly and make sure you're stepping on a solid rock.
Always keep an eye on what the ocean is doing. Is the tide coming in? Are the waves getting bigger? Stay away from the water line to be sure you and your kids don't get swept up in an unassuming wave.
Look Outside of the Pools
You'll see lots of sea life and interesting things on the sides and around the rocks as well. Gently flip over rocks and you'll likely find crabs scattering about.
Wait
As you approach a tide pool, the creatures sense your shadows and usually scurry away and they tuck themselves up so it doesn't look like much at first glance. Wait a minute, patiently and calmly and then you'll see these creatures slowly open up and come out of their shells.
Put Your Phone Down
Take a few pictures and then put your phone away. Just enjoy the beauty of these creatures who live in such a unique environment.
Stay Close to Your Kids
If you're with little kids they will need your full attention and assistance. You'll need both of your hands free to help them balance and cross over the slippery uneven rocks. They could slip and fall in the blink of an eye and cut themselves up pretty good. (I'll show you my barnacle scars someday if you'd like.)
📍 WHERE TO GO TIDE POOLING IN SAN DIEGO
There are several coastal tide pools to choose from in San Diego and even one that is so rare. It's the most coveted tide pool to experience that even long-time locals have never been able to see it. A couple of these even have guided tide pooling naturalists that will lead you around these tide pools and talk about what you find.
Here's the most complete list of where to find and how to get to the most well-known, not so well-known, and even hidden and secret spots to go tide pooling in San Diego.
As you can see from what I have here so far, there's a TON of information to write up about each place. That's why it's taking me forever to write them ALL up as quickly as I had wanted to. I'm going to publish them as I get them done and this is what I've got to share so far. Keep checking back here often as I'll be adding and updating this list over the next few weeks and eventually I'll have all TWENTY-ONE entries finished soon!
Tide Pool List (from north - south)
* = easy access, good for kids...in my opinion
🌊 OCEAN BEACH PIER TIDE POOLS
📍 5099 Newport Ave., San Diego 92107
Best for Kids
Easy to Access
DETAILS:
There are two places to tide pool at Ocean Beach. This one describes those at the Pier.
This is the best one for kids and it's right underneath the Ocean Beach Pier. This is a rocky outcropping that you'll climb up and walk all around on. The tide pools can be large and deep here (so don't let your kids fall in). There are lots of large gaps in between the rocks that you'll have to step or jump carefully over so make sure to stay nearby your kids to help them cross over these safely. (This is one of my personal favorite spots to take kids.)
Bathrooms are on the pier (these tend to be dirty so try to hold it and find another one to use unless it's an emergency ;).
The ocean waves crash right over these rocks when the tide comes in, so don't turn your back to the ocean and keep your kiddos nearby if you're there after the low tide.
CAUTION:
The ocean waves flow over these tide pools quickly when the tide comes back in. Keep your eye on the waves and don't turn your back. Stay closer to shore if you're still here after the low-tide.
HOW TO GET THERE:
OCEAN BEACH PIER: These are just south of and under the Ocean Beach Pier. They're exposed at a very low tide. To get there, use the beach entrance at Abbott St. + Newport Ave. Walk down the beach, go under the pier and the tide pools are on the other side.
There's a half wall between the parking lot and the beach; it's a little high for kids to hop over it so it's best to use the beach entrance noted above.
However, to get up to the pier, there's a staircase up from the other side of the half wall. It's not accessible from the sand, so you'll have to go back to the beach entrance at Abbott St. + Newport Ave. and walk down the sidewalk between the parking lot and the half wall over to the pier steps.
ALTERNATE PARKING FOR THE OB PIER: If you put the OB Pier address into your GPS (1850 Ocean Front St., San Diego, 92107) it will take you to the actual start of the pier; which is from the dead-end street at the end of a residential neighborhood. You may get lucky and find some street parking here. Walk onto the pier and then take the staircase down to the sidewalk. Walk over to Newport Ave. and use the beach entrance at that corner.
PARKING:
You might find off-street parking, a metered space or paid lot nearby. Bring your patience and expect to drive around and walk a few blocks.
There a lots of paid parking lots all around and that might be the best sanity saver instead of driving all around. They're close by to the beach so you likely won't have to walk too far from these.
The best paid parking lot is right in front of the pier:📍 5099 Newport Ave., San Diego, 92107
Two blocks further north you'll find this paid lot: 📍 1962 Abbot St. There's also a public bathroom here too, but again use only in an emergency. ;)
WHAT'S NEARBY:
If you park near the Pier, there's a TON of options for food, drinks & treats.
🥞 Head up to the pier for a stroll, peek into the buckets and see what the fishermen have caught, and grab a bite to eat ON the pier: Walk On Water Cafe is halfway out along the pier. They've got pancakes, sandwiches, hamburgers, fish n chips, lobster tacos and more. Hrs: daily 8am-8pm.
☕️ Two blocks north of the pier is OB Java; coffee, tea, smoothies, food and outdoor seating. 📍 5047 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107
☕️ Five blocks north of the pier is Newbreak Coffee & Cafe; coffee, tea, sandwiches, vegatarian. 📍 1959 Abbott St, San Diego, CA 92107
🍎 If you come on a Wednesday, catch the year-round OB Farmer's Market on Wed from 4-8pm. 📍 4900 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107
🌊 OCEAN BEACH BLUFF TIDE POOLS
📍 5030 Santa Cruz Ave., San Diego 92107
DETAILS:
There are two places to tide pool at Ocean Beach. This one describes those at the Bluff.
These are accessed via the stairs south of the pier and around the bend. It's not visible from the pier so it's best to drive around to this address noted above. The stairway going down to the rocks is very steep.
I don't recommend this one, especially for kids, because it's extremely slippery. Definitely don't come here with two kids by yourself, actually just skip this one altogether. They weren't even exciting at all; other than the views.
CAUTION:
These are very slippery; avoid this one and go to the one by the pier (see above).
HOW TO GET THERE:
This is at the end of a dead-end residential street, so you''ll have to find street parking nearby and walk over.
PARKING:
This is at the dead-end of a residential street so you'll have to drive around and find off-street parking and walk over.
WHAT'S NEARBY:
If you park near Santa Cruz Ave., walk 1 block east, about 5 houses east of Bacon St., and look for the Flip Flop Tree. 🤷🏼♀️ If you park near the Pier, there's a TON of options for food, drinks & treats.
🥞 Head up to the pier for a stroll, peek into the buckets and see what the fishermen have caught, and grab a bite to eat ON the pier: Walk On Water Cafe is halfway out along the pier. They've got pancakes, sandwiches, hamburgers, fish n chips, lobster tacos and more. Hrs: daily 8am-8pm.
☕️ Two blocks north of the pier is OB Java; coffee, tea, smoothies, food and outdoor seating. 📍 5047 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107
☕️ Five blocks north of the pier is Newbreak Coffee & Cafe; coffee, tea, sandwiches, vegatarian. 📍 1959 Abbott St, San Diego, CA 92107
🍎 If you come on a Wednesday, catch the year-round OB Farmer's Market on Wed from 4-8pm. 📍 4900 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107
[back to Tide Pool List]
[back to Table of Contents]
🌊 SUNSET CLIFFS TIDE POOLS
📍 Ladera St. + Sunset Cliffs Blvd.
NOT Best for Kids
NOT Easy to Access for Kids
(in my opinion)
DETAILS:
This is a relatively flat area once you get there. North of the staircase is generally better because there are more rocky tide pools that collect the sea life.
GOOD TO KNOW:
There's a very lucky private residence that lives on Ladera St., so please give them privacy and stay clear of their driveway.
HOW TO GET THERE:
There's a s-t-e-e-p staircase at the corner of Ladera St. + Sunset Cliffs Blvd. This leads you directly to the tide pooling area. Be careful of the cliffs. Did I mention the steep staircase?!
PARKING:
Park on Ladera Street for a closer walk to the staircase. If there's no parking, you can also drive up to the end of Ladera St. + Cornish Dr. for a large dirt lot with porta-potties. This will be a 7 minute walk down to the staircase.
WHAT'S NEARBY:
This is the same location as Sunset Cliffs Natural Park with lots of fun walking & easy hiking trails. Make extra time for a beautiful walk through this park. There's also a very uber secret swing nearby that I will not disclose it's location because that's the beauty of the secret. I also ask of you not to disclose this location to others if you happen to find it.
☕️ The closest coffee spot is Peet's Coffee (next to Jensen's Foods), just before you drive onto the peninsula at Catalina + Talbot. 📍 955 Catalina Blvd Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92106
👍 Shelter Island is close by with all kinds of restaurants (Ketch Grill & Taps has amazing views), Portside Gelato 🍧, and drive further onto Shelter Island you'll find a playground 🤸🏻♂️ , lots of parking and a long flat paved pathway that meanders the entire stretch of Shelter Island. 🏃♀️ 🚴🏻♀️
👍 Ocean Beach town and pier is nearby and makes for a fun little excursion. See Ocean Beach Tide Pools Below.
🌊 CABRILLO TIDE POOLS aka Point Loma Tide Pools
📍 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Dr., San Diego, CA 92106
619-557-5450 nps.gov/tidepools
NOT Best for Kids
NOT Easy to Access for Kids
(in my opinion)
DETAILS:
This is one of the most popular tide pooling spots in town because it's in the naval enclosure of Cabrillo and it has a wonderfully protected ecosystem. Read below for What's Good to Know about this spot in particular. Clean bathrooms are right at the trail entrance to the beach from the parking lot.
GOOD TO KNOW:
GUIDES:
Volunteer naturalists are here at almost every low-tide to teach kids (and adults) about what you'll find. They'll also give your kids (and adults) a gentle reminder about etiquette tips and not picking these creatures up. ;)
PHONES:
Cell phone reception is very spotty here, so if you're meeting someone make arrangements ahead of time.
COST:
There's an entry fee to get into Cabrillo because it's a State Park. It's currently $20/day per car. You can also buy an Annual Cabrillo Pass for $35 (only valid for entry into Cabrillo). You can also buy a National Parks Pass for $80/year if you plan to visit other National Parks within that year. This is free for military and $20 for seniors. You can buy all of these at the ranger entrance booth.
4TH GRADERS:
Get free entry into federal public lands as part of their Every Kid Outdoors initiative.
HOURS:
The tide pools gates close at 4:30pm every day; except in August when sometimes they stay open later. (Note that the park itself, the lighthouse, the gift shop and the entry gate closes at 5.)
HOW TO GET THERE:
Park in the lower lot as described below. You'll see a flat paved trail where the bathrooms are. Follow that down towards the bluff overlook. At this point, you'll have to side-step or walk single-file across the narrow almost washed out bluff and yes there is a steep drop here so hold your little's hands or just hold them.
Once you get across, you'll be on top of a flat rock, again it does drop off steeply below to keep your kids close. To get down to the beach, you'll need both hands to shimmy or sit-scoot down the side of this rock onto other rocks. One of which has a 1-2 foot deep tide pool that kids could easily trip into if they're not looking.
Getting down here is not recommended that you hold your kids. The adult should go first, then help your kids down one at a time. If you have another adult to help you that's ideal here.
PARKING:
After you pay at the park ranger booth, take the first right (look for the Tide Pool sign). You'll drive down the steep but breath-takingly beautiful hill (keep your eyes on the road and look out for cyclists!). After it curves right at the bottom, veer left into the small parking lot. Bathrooms are here too.
If this lot is full, I'd actually recommend waiting for someone to leave or coming back another time, but others will go back up and park near the lighthouse and walk down. I would never do this, but kuddos if you do, ha!
WHAT'S NEARBY:
When you walk back up from the tide pools, turn right to head back to the parking lot OR turn left and take the most beautiful hike in the world. It's called the Coastal Trail and it meanders along the coast up above on the bluff. Keep littles away from the cliff edges. The trail has stairs and veers up and in with some fun dirt piles for kids to run over, so it's not always along the cliffs.
As long as you're here, make some time to visit the lighthouse and the gift shop has some beautiful books and a nice selection of ocean-themed playing cards, kids activity books, shirts, hats and lots of other great stuff.
☕️ The closest coffee spot is Peet's Coffee (next to Jensen's Foods), just before you drive onto the peninsula at Catalina + Talbot. 📍 955 Catalina Blvd Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92106
👍 Shelter Island is close by with all kinds of restaurants (Ketch Grill & Taps has amazing views), Portside Gelato 🍧, and drive further onto Shelter Island you'll find a playground 🤸🏻♂️ , lots of parking and a long flat paved pathway that meanders the entire stretch of Shelter Island. 🏃♀️ 🚴🏻♀️
🌊 CORONADO TIDE POOLS
📍 Avenida del Sol + Coronado Beach
Best for Kids
Easy to Access
DETAILS:
This is a very small tide pool area, but that can be good for little kids so they don't wander off too far. You'll likely find sand dollars and other pretty shells here when the tide is out, so keep your eyes open for those. You may even see the Sandcastle Man hard at work on another sand sculpture. Bathrooms: use the Hotel Del
This a good location because there's plenty of beach to run around and when you're done you can wander around the beautiful Hotel Del and grab some eats & treats there.
HOW TO GET THERE:
There's a small jetty directly in front of the Hotel del Coronado. The tide pools are on the south side of this jetty.
PARKING:
Side street parking if available (free) a) on Avenida del Sol - south of Hotel Del; b) on RH Dana Pl or Ocean Blvd. - north of Hotel Del
Public lot parking at Coronado Shores Condos (free) - this is my secret parking spot because it looks like you have to pay but you don't. There's a guard but just say you're going to the public lot and they'll waive you in. shhh
Paid garage parking at the Hotel Del ($20, but only $10 with purchase validation)
Paid garage parking across from the Hotel Del in front of Chipotle on RH Dana Pl ($20 for first 2 hours, then $5 every half hour)
WHAT'S NEARBY:
Walk over to the Hotel Del and grab some food from these outdoor kid-friendly eats. 1. The Sun Deck is the first restaurant you'll get to from the beach. It's casual dining with some fire pits and a good kid's menu that overlooks the boardwalk, beach & ocean! 2. Beach & Taco Shack is the next one you'll see if you keep walking north up the boardwalk. Open daily 11-5 for tacos, beer & wine. 3. The Sheerwater is just to the left of the iconic turet. Only open for breakfast & dinner (closed 12-5). 4. ENO Market + Pizzeria is straight back from the Sun Deck and towards the right. Open all day and night for coffee, pastries, sandwiches and pizza. 5. Sundaes has just what you think: gelato & paletas any which way. It's just behind ENO Pizzeria.
These are photos from Scripps Pier Tide Pools. I'll update these photos into the right slide above when it's done. ;)
There's a classic California picture waiting for you directly under the pier, if you can get your kids to stay still long enough for a photo!
HAVE FUN!!
I can't be everywhere all the time so your input is greatly appreciated. Let me know if you have any updates to this place or post.
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