Low tides expose Puget Sound wonders
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Explore coastal critters. Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Puget Sound's lowest tides of the year arrived this week, exposing beaches, tide pools and marine life that are normally hidden underwater.
Driving the news: Negative tides expose eelgrass beds and tide pools where visitors can spot sea stars, sea anemones, crabs, moon snails and other coastal critters.
- NOAA forecasts low tides below zero through Friday.
By the numbers: Seattle's lowest tides in the coming days:
- Wednesday: -3.6 feet at 1:10pm.
- Thursday: -2.6 feet at 1:59pm.
- Friday: -1.3 feet at 2:49pm.
Where to go: Check out Pioneer Square Habitat Beach, the restored urban beach next to Seattle's ferry terminal.
- Opened as part of the waterfront overhaul, the beach gives visitors a chance to get close to the water — and spot marine life during low tides — without leaving downtown
Other options: Golden Gardens in Ballard, Carkeek Park, Constellation Park at Alki Point, Seahurst Park in Burien and Saltwater State Park in Des Moines are also favorite spots for exploring Puget Sound's underwater world when the tide recedes.
What's happening: Seattle's lowest tides typically occur in late spring and early summer, when the positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun create some of the year's largest tidal swings.
- Those same forces help produce the region's highest high tides, known as king tides, during the winter, when storms and lower air pressure can push water levels even higher.
What to know: Arrive about an hour before low tide and watch your step. Eelgrass beds and other intertidal habitats can be damaged by foot traffic, and marine life is especially vulnerable when the water recedes.
- The Seattle Aquarium encourages visitors to avoid handling wildlife.
The bottom line: We may have missed the very highest tides of the year earlier this week, but the next few days still offer great opportunities to explore the shoreline.