Tide Pools in Tobago

By wildgirl -

The best way to understand and love the ocean is to be in it. Anjani Ganase encourages youngsters, and their parents, to explore the sea, starting at the edges. All photos by Anjani Ganase

You do not have to be a swimmer to explore the ocean. Start on the beach, where the ocean meets the land, in the mangroves and at rocky intertidal pools. Most beaches and bays of Tobago are lined by rocky shores with tidal rock pools to explore. My favourite and the most developed rocky pool system is at Rocky Point in Mt Irvine. Here some rock pools are interconnected with deeper water channels that can be explored if you want to snorkel. In these rock pools, you are likely to find crabs scurrying over the rocks, barnacles, mussels, maybe tiny fish, an octopus and sometimes corals, algae and sponges.

My favourite shore for exploring tide pools is at Rocky Point, Mt Irvine. Photo by Anjani Ganase


 

During low tide on calm days, I have explored the tide pools of Arnos Vale and Culloden. These are easy to get to when the tide is out and the sea is calm.

The life in tide pools changes constantly and is fascinating to watch! Usually, marine life in tide pools is adapted to extreme conditions. The organisms in these environments experience sudden and dramatic changes, one minute submerged by seawater the next exposed to the sunlight. It can be a harsh environment where – when the tide is out – there’s the risk of desiccation. Tide pools show large fluctuations in temperature, salinity, oxygen concentrations and acid or alkaline levels.

Some organisms can move in and out of tide pools for hunting. But these pools can also serve as nurseries for fish and tiny invertebrate species. The timing for moving in and out of the tide pools is critical. Poor timing may result in being trapped or exposed. In some places such as Hawaii, where rocky shores formed from lava flows extend for long coastal stretches, the tide pools are extensive and permanent. Many of the pools support great diversity, with unique, endemic species of crabs, mussels and other invertebrates. The tide pools of Hawaii are studied by marine scientists for insights into drivers of evolution and adaptation.

Submerged rocks at Mt Irvine

Corals at a Mt Irvine rock pool

 
Arnos Vale features a rocky shore that is submerged at high tide.

How to explore

Check the tide charts to choose the time to explore; when the tide is falling or low tide might be safest. As you become more experienced, you may want to see what is in the same pool at high tide; and what remains at low tide. Do not remove anything from the tidal pools and avoid stepping on the critters. You might want to wear secure booties to protect your feet. Use a mask or build an ocean-viewer or bathyscope using plastic.

A bathyscope is a tool that allows you to view underwater life from above. When you look at the surface of water, you may see only what’s reflected. The bathyscope works to allow you to look into the water by eliminating the glare on the water's surface. You are able to see as deep as the water's clarity and light permit. 

Bathyscopes can be used to view life in rivers, the sea or other bodies of water. They are ideal for reef and tide pool viewing. Other devices that function like a bathyscope include glass-bottom boats, snorkeling goggles. Any transparent material that can be submerged below the water's surface such as a glass bottle will allow you to see through the water. However, glass may not be the safest material to have in your kit for a day at the beach.

 

Homemade bathyscope; and what iot might allow you to see


Make your own ocean-viewer

Your ocean viewer can be made out of a plastic tube, a glass bottle or a can. Attach to the end of the pipe a piece of clear plastic wrap. Use rubber bands or duct tape to attach the plastic to the tube, and make sure the plastic is flat as possible with no creases. Dip the plastic covered end just below the surface to see through the water to what lies below.  Make sure water does not leak into the tube. Your homemade bathyscope is easily assembled for your beach days. Make it part of your equipment next time you hear, let’s go to the beach.

 

Rock pools at Culloden extend along the beach; with many different creatures. Photo by Anjani Ganase





 

 

 

 

 

 


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