Pacific Ocean Tidepools, Oregon Coast

On September 16th we traveled out to the Oregon coast with friends. The conditions were cold and wet with lots of misty rain, and the setting was exotic in a way that we've never seen. Because of the high moisture content of the climate, the vegetation is very lush and green. Everything seemed to be covered with a thick carpet of moss. The trees looked to be wearing long green beards. The beach included sand as well as large seamounts. These are volcanic basalts that have flowed along the coast and were then sculpted by wave action into large rocky outcrops with caves and other pockets that trap water and form tide pools.





We spent the whole day reaching into the water to touch anemones, urchins, and small crabs. Although there were sea lions swimming around in the waves, we couldn't get good pictures of them. The kids enjoyed scrambling over the rocks, exploring the tide pools and caves along the shore.

The water in the Pacific Ocean is very cold when compared to the Atlantic we know back in Georgia. The average temperature of the Pacific Ocean along the Oregon coast is 58° F and the temperature today at Tybee Island is 76° F. Of course this temperature difference impacts the animals and plants that live there. One obvious difference for us were the colorful anemones and sea stars.




There will be more on tide pools from a location further south in California. For the rest of our Oregon Coast photos, go here.