Tidepool Exploring

It seems Sam and I must really like fish and other sea creatures since a large portion of my posts have to do with our aquatic friends! Well, to continue with our trend, we finally made it out to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve located at Moss Beach, just south of the city. This visit has been something we have been trying to arrange for a few months now as it is best to go during low tide, which tends to change / not line up with our weekend plans. Anyway, this time it worked out perfectly and coincided with the Coogan Siblings visit (more to come on that later!).

Unfortunately, the weather was not the prettiest, although we decided that the lack of sun may have actually helped since it wasn't super crowded. I just love the California coast line- it is such a different experience from the beaches in Florida that we are used to visiting. The water is also SO much colder, and the wind wasn't very pleasant either. Still, I am always in awe of the ocean and rocky coastline.

These sweet seals didn't seem to mind the weather though. They were all lying around just off the beach.

As I mentioned before, it's best to visit the tidepools during low tide, so the pools are shallow and you can really see what's hanging out in there. It is also best to wear water proof shoes, or at least ones that have good traction since the rocks are VERY slippery from all of the plants and algae. 

I honestly have no idea what most of the creatures we saw are, but I do know we saw a ton of barnacles, anemones, and little crabs. In true sibling fashion, Sam enjoyed daring his sibs to touch the squishy orange thing in the picture below. No, you are not suppose to be touching any of the wild life, but it's odd and sticky texture was just too enticing!

By far, our most exciting find was this star fish chilling on the underside of one of the pool banks. It was so camouflaged, I'm surprised anyone could even see it! It is difficult to tell from the picture, but it was about the size of my hand. So cool!

The area around the beach was also very pretty. We took a short hike along the coast enjoying the scenery and views from the cliffs. Even though in Berkeley it was wonderfully warm and sunny, we've learned that the coastline, and especially the wind, can be so much chillier. 

And of course, we had to get some group pics, and why not one in a creepy tree that didn't have any leaves?? Overall, I think Sam and I were a little disappointed that we didn't see a walking octopus or more star fish, but I would like to go back again and do a bit more exploring. It was certainly something fun and different to do with our visitings sibs too :)