Yet another of the pleasures of winter in San Diego: the extreme low tides that happen then. This happens when the moon lines up with the sun and Earth — something that occurs twice every month (during the moon’s full and new phases). But winter is special for another reason. During both winter and summer, the Earth’s angle of inclination influences how close we are to the adjoining heavenly bodies, but during winter, the influence of the Earth’s tilt makes the extreme lows occur in the afternoon. (The summer ones come at or before dawn.) This means winter is when it’s most practical to do those things that are best — or only — done at low tide.
The next few days will be superior ones for tidepooling and exploring the sea caves in La Jolla. On Wednesday, December 30, the low (-1.6) comes at 2:34 p.m. Thursday it’s even lower (-1.9) at 3:16 p.m., followed by an equally low event at 3:56 p.m. on New Year’s Day.
The cycle will repeat again at the end of January, when lows ranging from -1.4 to -1.9 occur at 1:38 p.m. Wednesday (1/27) through 4:09 p.m. Sunday (1/31). The end of February (Thursday 2/25 through Sunday 2/28) represent the last chance to experience extreme lows in the afternoon — until next December, that is.
Low tide at PB Point
High tide at PB Point
I recently discovered a wonderful resource for tidepooling during those extreme lows: Sam Hinton’s Seashore Life of Southern California. This book was published in 1987, but to my knowledge it remains the single best field guide to all the fascinating creatures that inhabit the intertidal zone. There are lovely color photographs, and tons of Hinton’s beautiful black and white illustrations. Best of all, it’s brilliantly organized, so it’s really useful out in the real world.
