A knobby sea star with spiny, orange-tipped arms rests among seaweed, rocks, and green algae in a shallow tide pool.
What is in the Tidepools

What’s in the Tidepools? – February 2026

camouflaged octopus clings to rocks underwater, blending in with its surroundings, with visible suckers and textured skin.

What’s In the Tidepools? – February 2026

(Two Spot Octopus – NPS Photo/D. Orr)

Here is a sampling of what our volunteers observed during the month — thank you to everyone who contributed. Remember to send in your photos; we truly appreciate sharing them with everyone.

Don’t forget to visit the Tidepool Videos page and our YouTube page.

Enjoy the virtual visit through the tidepools.

A small striped shore crab clings to a rocky surface covered with seaweed and algae, blending into its tide pool habitat.
Striped Shore Crab – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A solitary sea anemone with green and purple tentacles sits in a shallow tide pool surrounded by rocks, sand, and patches of dark seaweed.
Solitary Anemone – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A snowy egret stands in shallow coastal waters among seaweed, with gentle ocean waves rolling in the background.
Snowy Egret – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A translucent nudibranch with white-tipped brown cerata crawls among pinkish-brown seaweed and algae in a shallow tide pool.
Opalescent Nudibranch – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A knobby sea star rests in a shallow tide pool surrounded by rocks, algae, and seaweed, partially submerged in clear water.
Knobby Sea Star – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A knobby sea star with spiny, orange-tipped arms rests among seaweed, rocks, and green algae in a shallow tide pool.
– NPS Photo/T. WoodsKnobby Sea Star
A large keyhole limpet clings to a rock in a tide pool, surrounded by seaweed and shallow water, with its distinct central hole visible on the shell.
Keyhole Limpet – NPS Photo/T. Woods
pink Hopkins’ rose nudibranch rests among green seagrass and rocks in a shallow tide pool, surrounded by clear water and hints of purple algae.
Hopkins Rose Nudibranch – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A brittle star with long, slender arms is clinging to rocks in a shallow tide pool surrounded by seaweed and algae.
Brittle Star – NPS Photo/T. Woods
A knobby sea star with blue and white bumps rests in a rocky tide pool, surrounded by seaweed and shallow water.
Knobby Sea Star – NPS Photo/D. Hunt
A dark, shiny keyhole limpet clings to a rocky tide pool, surrounded by seaweed and colorful marine growth.
Keyhole Limpet – NPS Photo/D. Hunt
A close-up of an abalone clinging to a rocky surface, showing its rough, dark shell with natural holes and small marine growths around it.
Abalone – NPS Photo/D. Hunt
Yellow-billed Sea Goddess Alt Text: A small orange sea slug with delicate stripes rests in shallow water among seaweed and sand, blending with its surroundings.
Yellow-billed Sea Goddess – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A serene coastal sunset with the sun low over the horizon, waves gently lapping against rocky shores, and dramatic clouds streaking across the sky.
Sunset – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A serpent star with long, slender arms rests on the sandy seafloor near seaweed, partially submerged in shallow, clear water.
Panama Serpent Star – NPS Photo/D. Orr
camouflaged octopus clings to rocks underwater, blending in with its surroundings, with visible suckers and textured skin.
Octopus – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A large keyhole limpet clings to a rocky tide pool, partially covered by seaweed, with its distinctive shell and central hole clearly visible.
Keyhole Limpet – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A keyhole limpet clings to a rocky tide pool, its conical shell and orange mantle contrasting with the surrounding seaweed and algae.
Keyhole Limpet – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A large Kellet’s whelk clings to a rocky tide pool, surrounded by reddish-brown seaweed and partially submerged in clear water.
Kellets Whelk – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A bright pink Hopkins’ Rose nudibranch rests among dark seaweed and tan encrusting coralline algae in a tide pool.
Hopkins Rose Nudibranch – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A giant keyhole limpet rests on colorful marine algae, its dark shell and soft, tan body blending with the surrounding seaweed in a tide pool.
Giant Keyhole Limpet – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A tide pool with purple seaweed reveals several chitons clinging to the rock, their segmented, oval shells blending with the surrounding marine life.
Conspicuous Chiton – NPS Photo/D. Orr
Rocky coastal cliffs with broken slabs and rubble, a few people exploring near tidepools, and clear blue sky with the ocean in the background.
Tidepool Entrance Collapse – NPS Photo/Hannah
A rocky coastal cliff with layered stone and fallen rubble is shown under a clear blue sky. A dirt path with railings and signs leads up a grassy hillside in the background.
Tidepool Entrance Collapse – NPS Photo/Hannah
A dark sea slug rests in a shallow tide pool surrounded by seaweed, rocks, and patches of red and green marine algae.
Black Sea Hare – NPS Photo/R. Azer
A knobby sea star with blue and orange bumps clings to a rocky tide pool surrounded by black seaweed, shells, and shallow water.
Knobby Sea Star – NPS Photo/R. Azer
A black sea slug with orange, blue, and white spots crawls over rocky tide pool surfaces covered in barnacles and patches of red algae.
Navanax – NPS Photo/R. Azer
dark brown cormorant stands on a wet rock in the water, wings slightly spread, with gentle ripples and other rocks visible in the background.
Cormorant – NPS Photo/M. Rose
A brown crab rests among rocks, red seaweed, and green seagrass in a shallow tide pool, blending with its natural surroundings.
Pacific Rock Crab – NPS Photo/R. Azer
A small octopus blends with rocks and seaweed in a shallow tide pool, its arms stretched across smooth stones and pebbles underwater.
Two Spot Octopus – NPS Photo/Hannah
A small, oval chiton clings to a wet, sandy rock. Its segmented shell plates are pale green and pink, with a soft, fuzzy center, blending into the surrounding tidepool surface.
Conspicuous Chiton – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A black sea slug with bright orange spots and blue highlights crawls over rocks and seaweed in a shallow tide pool.
Navanax – NPS Photo/R. Azer
A long, dark sea slug with bright orange and blue stripes and white spots crawls along a sandy, shallow seafloor with scattered shells and bits of seaweed.
Navanax – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A large, mossy sea snail shell lies in shallow water surrounded by small rocks, sand, and patches of reddish-brown seaweed.
Kellets Whelk – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A camouflaged octopus rests among rocks and coral in shallow water, blending with the brown and green hues of its surroundings.
Octopus – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A small octopus rests among rocks and seaweed in shallow water, partially camouflaged with its brown and orange arms blending into the surroundings.
Octopus – NPS Photo/Hannah
A dark, spiral-shaped horn shark egg rests among tangled, wet brown seaweed and kelp on the beach.
Horn Shark Egg – NPS Photo/M. Rose
A white snowy egret stands in shallow water among rocks and seaweed, with its reflection visible on the water’s surface.
Snowy Egret – NPS Photo/R. Azer
A vibrant sea slug with a purple body and bright orange feathery spines glides underwater among rocks and thin seaweed strands.
Spanish Shawl – NPS Photo/R. Azer
A rough, white sea snail shell with dark red seaweed clinging to it rests on wet sandy beach, surrounded by small patches of algae and shallow water.
Kellet’s Welk – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A bright red crab with large claws is tucked under a rocky ledge on the sandy ocean floor, partially covered in sand and surrounded by bits of seaweed.
Kelp Crab – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A brown lobster dives among tall, shiny green grass blades, partially hidden in the foliage.
Lobster Diving – NPS Photo/D. Orr
A dark, speckled sea slug with blue-tipped tail moves among rocks and sand in a shallow tide pool.
Navanax – NPS Photo/D. Orr
black and orange sea creature clings upside down to a rock in shallow water, with ripples reflecting the rocky surface below.
Upside down Keyhole Limpet – NPS Photo/D. Orr

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