Tide Pools

In Puerto Peñasco, part of our trip here involves exploring what's called the Intertidal Zone, or the thin area of the coast that is exposed by the tides. We've learned a lot about the kinds of organisms that live there, and since we're here, we actually get to see them for ourselves. Usually, we found the most interesting specimens underneath large rocks, but some were also out in the open. Part of the appeal in looking is that you don't know what you're going to find.
We went to two different local beaches to check out what kinds of plants and animals can live in the intertidal zone. The first day, we checked out the beach near CEDO, and found tons of crabs, snails, as well as a few sea stars and even two sun stars, which look like regular sea stars, but with way more than 5 legs. These guys prey on everything in the reef, even other sea stars. Someone even came across an octopus that somehow got stuck on the sand. He was probably about a foot long!
The second day we went to the rocky stretch of coast just to the South of the old town district, el Malecón. There was no sand here, just large, black rocks covered in algae, lichens, and barnacles. There were tons of echinoderms, so lots of brittle stars, sea stars, and by one person's count, five sun stars. Sea anemones seemed to be anchored to every rock, and a few of them that remained underwater had bright, vibrant colors. We found one anemone that had retracted, but it's outside was hot pink with white spots, and it's fair to guess that when extended, it looks pretty cool. Sea cucumbers liked to congregate together with brittle stars underneath large rocks, and when you lifted the rock, they'd make tiny squirting noises and try to hit you with little jets of water. We also found a baby octopus that had cleverly camoflouged itself with the soil, but after the rock had been moved, it became stressed and turned a bright red.
Next time you're at the beach for a day or two, take note of the tides- a quick Google search will tell you everything you need to know. During low tide, chances are that you'll find some interesting stuff in the Intertidal Zone. Just remember to bring gloves, because not everything is friendly, and to be respectful of the local environment by not harming or keeping anything you might find.