![]() While tide pools may be fun, they also pose unique risks: Parents may have a false sense of security when their children play in a tide pool due to its shallow depth, but a toddler can drown in just 1 inch of water, the OCBP said. After tide pools have been present for a couple of days, Ocean City's Public Works staff sculpt the beach to allow the pools to drain, according to the Ocean City Beach Patrol. However, tide pools can also become dirty and smelly due to their stagnant water. ![]() This makes the tide pools inviting to swim in because they tend to be warmer than the ocean. MORE: With rough water and fewer lifeguards, Ocean City beachgoers asked to stay vigilantīecause the pools tend to be shallow and small, the sun heats the water quickly. As water is pushed over the mound, it gets trapped in the low-lying area, forming a pool. The waves push sand into large mounds running parallel to the shore. Tide pools tend to form along the beach in August, when storms off the coast whip up the wind, causing waves to travel further up the beach, dredging sand out of place. However, tide pools formed by the farther-reaching waves remained. In Ocean City, cliffs had cut into the sand in many places along the 10-mile beachfront earlier in the week, but the cliffs had largely gone by Thursday. The weather's shift back to calmer conditions has smoothed out most of the state's beachfronts where cliffs had formed. The way it chews, it causes a cliff to form.” “So then when you get a significant storm, it starts to chew away at that sand that accumulated all summer. “I call them fat summer beaches,” said Powell, head of DNREC’s shoreline and waterway management section. Therefore, when the waves started carving it away, the sand cliffs may have looked more dramatic than usual. As a high pressure system drove north last weekend, strong winds created rough surf along the Atlantic Coast, National Weather Service meteorologist Sarah Johnson said.Īfter a summer of calm weather, sand had built up substantially on Delmarva's beaches. Proud partners of this program include Subaru of America, REI, Eagles Nest Outfitters, Deuter, Thule, Fjä llräven and Klean Kanteen. Leave No Trace’s Erin Collier and Brice Esplin are part of the 2019 Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program that provides free, mobile education to communities across the country. Just remember to take everything with you when you leave. The longer you spend, the more you will see. The best way to see tide pools is to take your time, and the best way to respect this ecosystem is to take your trash. Use the thumb trick to tell how far away you should be to keep you and them safe. Keep an eye out for other animals, either in the water or hanging out on the shore, and give them space to avoid causing them to flee. Seals, sea lions, otters, and other ocean wildlife call these areas home too. The creatures you see in the tide pool aren’t the only wildlife. Try not to put your back to the water and be mindful of sneaker waves and the incoming tide. Just because waves aren’t reaching you, doesn’t mean they can’t. Waves can sweep over an area quickly and suddenly. To stay safe while you explore, know the tide tables and keep an eye on the ocean. Wet rock can also be slick, so tread lightly and carefully. Try to avoid plants, mussels, and other small animals. Be mindful of what you’re standing and walking on, and try to stick to bare rock and sand. There are living things out of the water too, and our footsteps can harm them. The animals can be injured or displaced by us, so it is best not to poke, pick up, or move them. It’s important to keep in mind that these are active ecosystems though, not just underwater museums. Tide pools are full of amazing and interesting sea creatures, giving us a unique chance to observe them. ![]() Here are some ways to ensure they remain healthy during your visit. These windows into another ecosystem can be a fun outing and an opportunity for education. Urchins, anemones, starfish, oh my! Tide pools give us an opportunity to observe an aquatic environment from land.
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