And that is why... Wordless Wednesday

You don't swim in the outlet of the creek at Aliso Creek Beach...

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Wordless Wednesday...

Because I can't get enough beach pictures in...

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Tide Pooling Times for 9/2/09 - 9/9/09

Here are some of the photos from our last time tide pooling (at Aliso Creek State Beach) and the high/low tides for the next week (including the best times to go tide pooling here in Orange County, CA). Be sure to pop back on and post a comment if you did go tide pooling during one of these times and how it was! A quick reminder that the best time for tide pooling is when the tide is going out after a particularly high tide. You want to catch it before the new tide starts to come in.

There are some great ones over the next week, all of them falling in the afternoon to early evening. I’m highlighting & staring the best times to go tide pooling because there are so many of them! Click here for a post about our favorite beach to go Tide Pooling – Crystal Cove State Beach, Newport Beach, CA.


9/2/09
High 9:15 am & 8:41 pm
Low 3:01 am & 2:36 pm*


9/3/09
High 9:35 am & 9:12 pm
Low 3:23 pm & 3:06 pm*

9/4/09

High 9:55 am & 9:43 pm

Low 3:44 am & 3:38 pm*

9/5/09

High 10:17 am & 10:16 pm

Low 4:05 am & 4:12 pm*

9/6/09
High 10:40 am & 10:52 Pm
Low 4:26 am & 4:49 pm*


9/7/09
High 11:06 am & 11:32 pm
Low 4:47 am & 5:31 pm*


9/8/09
High 11:35 am
Low 5:08 am & 6:21 pm*


9/9/09
High 12:23 am & 12:11 pm
Low 5:30 am & 7:25 pm

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Waves From Tropical Storm Ignacio

Just had to share some of our pictures from Aliso Creek Beach earlier this evening (yes that is an adult in the photo!)... The waves are huge from Tropical Storm Ignacio just off the Baja California Coast is bringing in the large waves and causing dangerous rip currents - so be careful!

For more information about the wave warnings click here.

Happy wave watching!

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Best Times to Go Tide Pooling in Orange County August 15 to August 22, 2009

The best times to go Tide Pooling in Orange County are August 20th at approximately 3:30pm, August 21st at 4:30 pm and August 22 at 5:20 pm. One of our favorite locations is Crystal Cove State Beach (click here). Enjoy!


High Tides/Low Tides

August 15
Highs 7:34 am & 5:25 pm
Lows 12:24 am & 10:25 pm

August 16
Highs 8:07 am & 6:31 pm
Lows 1:18 am & 12:04 pm

August 17
Highs 8:37 am & 7:27 pm
Lows 2:02 am & 1:10 pm

August 18
Highs 9:07 am & 8:17 pm
Lows 2:42 am & 2:05 pm

August 19
Highs 9:39 am & 9:05 pm
Lows 3:19 am & 2:55 pm

August 20
Highs 10:11 am & 9:52 pm
Lows 3:55 am & 3:43 pm

August 21
Highs 10:45 am & 10:37 pm
Lows 4:29 am & 4:32 pm

August 22
Highs 11:19 am & 11:25 pm

Lows 5:02 am & 5:23 pm

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Crystal Cove State Beach, Newport Coast

Crystal Cove State Beach, Newport Coast

Why we love it: It is always an adventure and different every time! It feels off the beaten path and is rarely every packed with people, even in the summer. The kids love to explore the tide pools and there is an infinite amount of things to explore. A huge bonus is our book is the physical element of it. We always park by the stairs down to the beach- so the kids get a great workout in addition to all the trekking on the sand. The views are incredible. Lifeguards are present during tourist season.

Be sure to bring: Sunscreen most importantly! We always bring a good sized back pack or tote with towels, change of clothes, water, snack, sand toys, swim vest (just in case I turn my attention for a minute) and of course a camera. I have seen many people bring their own portable umbrellas or shade tents in addition to chairs. Flip flops are a good idea because you want to be sure to wear something on your feet on the trek down to the beach from the parking lot. There are restrooms on site, but be sure to bring hand sanitizer because there isn’t soap at the sinks.

A day pass for parking is $10, but you can also buy a yearly pass for just over $100 (which is good at all California State Parks).

Check out the tides before you go because going at a low tide is one of the neatest experiences we have ever had exploring. There are rocks full of mussel shells, pools full of sea anemones, sand crabs, hermit crabs, fish and other sea life to explore. You can track the low tides on http://www.weather.com/ under tides for the Newport area.

Appeals to: Toddlers and up. It’s a bit of a trek down to the beach, so it can be cumbersome if you have young ones. We always take the stairs, and I am very careful to hold hands with my youngest because the stairs can get slippery with sand. The stairs are a little steep for a few steps, but well worth it in my opinion. My kids LOVE that beach. As an example: the last time we found an amazing tide pool, it was perfect for a young toddler because the waves weren’t reaching it, yet it was perfect for the kids to get in to explore the shells and other sea life very safely.

Location: Just off of Pacific Coast Highway, at the Laguna Beach and Newport Beach line. There are several parking lots, we turn in at Reef Point Drive. This is a link to the Google Map. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=crystal+cove+state+beach,+Ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.822921,70.576172&ie=UTF8&ll=33.574904,-117.838111&spn=0.02367,0.034461&z=15&om=1

Family Travel Tips
Newport Beach

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