Tide Pools in Puerto Lopez #AtoZChallenge
― Katherine McIntyre, By the Sea
The Puerto Lopez tide pools are a popular family weekend destination. Kids can swim in the ocean without worrying about being swept out to sea.
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| Puerto Lopez, Manabí, Ecuador (Click on photo to increase size) |
During low tide, the pools are naturally protected from waves by large rocks and a curved southern shore.
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| Puerto Lopez, Manabí, Ecuador |
Crystal clear water warms while the tide is out. Tiny fish enjoy a temporary reprieve from larger prey.
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| Puerto Lopez, Manabí, Ecuador |
As the tide starts coming in, everyone packs up and heads home. At high tide the rocks are covered and the tide pools disappear until the next low tide.
Where do families near you swim?
If you are visiting from the #AtoZChallenge please include your blog link in a comment so I can check it out.
Emily Bloomquist
I am a US Expat in Ecuador. I grew up on a Minnesota farm, worked in IT in California's Silicon Valley, then moved to a coastal Ecuador fishing village. My goal is to share Ecuador with you, one snippet at a time. Topics include attractions, compassion, ecotourism, Ecuador products, everyday Ecuador, and flora and fauna. Please let me know what you would like to read more about!
34 Comments
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Hi Emily – I watch our tidal pools here as I look out over the English Channel … and we have a lovely range of tidal goodies in the pools … crabs, anemones, shell fish etc … great for the kids and as you say warm water. Lovely to think about – cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/t-is-for-turkey.html
Emily Bloomquist
Hi Hilary, How lovely that you have a view of the English Channel tidal pools. Thanks for mentioning the additional life in them, too. One can give a lesson on sea creatures while the kids think they are simply playing.
Linda Gardiner
What a great topic for T! Tide pools are SO interesting. My favorites have been in British Columbia & Alaska. We would LOVE to visit Ecuador sometime. Thanks for being here in the challenge.
Texture My month is all about how to build an artful life.
The natural world is a huge draw for my husband & I. You are there! Today marks my first week of retirement so travel is a big topic.
Emily Bloomquist
Congratulations on your first week of retirement, Linda! What an exciting time.
Tide pools in BC and Alaska would be fun to explore. Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you decide to come to Ecuador during your travels.
Nick Wilford
Looks like fun. There's something special about exploring those pools.
Emily Bloomquist
There sure is Nick and it is different each time.
Jean Davis
Tide pools look like great fun! I'm sure there are all sorts of interesting things to find in them.
We swim in Lake Michigan or one of the smaller nearby lakes. We have to worry about rip tides pulling people out into the lake, but we don't have the nice tide pools as an option.
Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
Emily Bloomquist
There are all sorts of interesting things to find in them, Jean. Rip tides are a problem so it is nice that there is an option free of them during low tide. Lake Michigan is beautiful and must be great for a swim.
Beth Lapin
Love it! I was always fascinated by the living beings left in isolation twice a day…here on the Connecticut coast.
Affirmations for a Good Life
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks Beth! It would be so interesting to see the differences in life your pools vs ours.
Bob Scotney
The North Sea is less than 15 miles from where we live but it's freezing to swim in it at any time of year.
I have also had a brief swim in Lake Michigan when visiting our daughter.
Emily Bloomquist
Yes Bob, I imagine that the North Sea would be much too cold for a swim. Lake Michigan had to be a bit warmer.
Chicky Kadambari
It must be such a great experience living by the water. I stay in a desert area currently! 😛
I wish those pics were bigger, Emily. The sky looks such a gorgeous blue!
Happy AtoZing!
Chicky @ http://www.mysteriouskaddu.com
Emily Bloomquist
Glad you mentioned the pic size Chicky. I just added a note under the first one that you can click on the photos to increase their size.
The small pics are a little deceptive – I actually took these photos on a mostly cloudy day.
Arlee Bird
I live probably about 15 miles or so from the nearest beaches but I rarely go and when we do my wife and I don't go on the sand but just gaze from the pavement. I used to take my kids there when they were still living here, but neither my wife nor I care much about the beach. I would kind of like to see tide pools though.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Emily Bloomquist
There is so much life to watch in the tide pools. You could go to watch little crabs running around on the rocks at the water's edge. It gives a miniature view into what may be happening on the ocean floor.
Aidyl Ewoh
Yes! Tide pools are so much fun! And it's crazy to me how many little critters are found in them.
We used to swim in our pond until we had too many snapping turtles in it. Since the pond water is all cloudy we couldn't see the turtles, and when we fished one out that was over twenty pounds, we decided we liked our fingers and toes too much to continue swimming with such big snappers….
Visiting from the A to Z Challenge. See My “T” post here: https://lydiahowe.com/2017/04/24/t-is-for-tenacity-atozchallenge/
Emily Bloomquist
I love all of the little critters in tide pools. A bunch of snapping turtles in a pond, I would not love… especially ones over twenty pounds! Not quite the same as a tiny crab running around a rock at the water's edge.
Donna B. McNicol
Growing up on the ocean (just down a short hill and across the street) as well as two sets of grandparents on the ocean, I love tide pools.
DB McNicol | Oh, the places we will go! | Tennessee & Texas
Emily Bloomquist
It would have been so much fun to be near the ocean as a child. My childhood in Minnesota included a lot of lakes and forests, though, so I have no complaints. Watching children play with the tiny creatures in tide pools is so entertaining!
Shirley Corder
Hi Emily. What gorgeous photos. I am 6 minutes walk away from a beautiful beach on the coast of South Africa. The children have a wonderful time in a small rock-enclosed area of the water, and the waves nearby are a great draw for the surfers. But it can become treacherous and people need to exercise caution. T is for Tempting Titles as you Build a Better Blog. #AtoZchallenge.
Emily Bloomquist
Hi Shirley, Your coastal area sure sounds a lot like mine. We have surfers nearby also. I love that you know the tide pools are 6 minutes away 🙂 We are both fortunate to live near them.
moon
Amazing information and pics ,Emily. I admire your minute observations!
Best wishes,
Moon
https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com
Emily Bloomquist
Thank you moon. I appreciate that so much!
Arti Jain
Cool choice for T and love the pictures too:)
We used to live in the UK when our children were younger. Looking for/at creatures in these pools used to be one of our most favourite things to do when we visited Dorset or Cornwall.
Your post brought back those fond memories. Thank you.
T is for Tavaa Toast
Emily Bloomquist
What fun memories you and your children must have of those pools! Thanks for sharing Arti!
Keith's Ramblings
Living just a few miles along the coast from Hillary I too enjoy the rock pools at low tide and the English Channel. I walk between them barefoot as often as I can, infact I did so earlier today. I based Amble Bay beach on my mine.
Another day in Amble Bay!
Emily Bloomquist
Sounds like a lovely place to live, Keith – great that you walk among the tide pools so frequently. So much to see and two times are never the same. Very cool that Amble Bay is based on it.
A Tarkabarka Hölgy
I bet it would be an awesome place for kids to play in…
The Multicolored Diary: WTF – Weird Things in Folktales
Emily Bloomquist
It sure is. Some bring little homemade boats to float around and pretend that they are fishermen, like their fathers.
Cathy Kennedy
Emily,
Other than community pools, there are a few lakes within a half an hour from most people. Fort Loudon Lake in west Knoxville and north of town, Norris Lake. In the summer the water way is littered with boats and ski jets. At each, there is a designated area for the beach and swimming. Personally I have no desire to swim in any body of water that hasn't been treated. All I keep thinking is…all that filth! lol I know, I know I'm totally weird and paranoid like that but to know me is to love me. Beautiful photos!
~Curious as a Cathy
Art Sketching Through the Alphabet “T” (Treehouse)
Emily Bloomquist
Hi Cathy, I think a lot of people stay out of the ocean for the same reason. The lakes in your area must be surrounded by such beauty. Thanks for visiting!
Anonymous
Just jumping back from your Z post. Tide pools sound like a great place to swim and enjoy the sun and water. Mostly I take my kids to the pool. However, there are some lakes that we could swim at. I spent my summers as a child swimming in the lake. Great post.
Shari
Emily Bloomquist
Thanks for jumping back from Z, Shari. Tide pools are great, especially for kids because the water is clear and they can see the tiny sea life in it. I grew up in Minnesota swimming in lakes. Great memories.