Here’s a map of the best tide pools at Southern California beaches. From Point Loma in San Diego to Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu there are many areas where tide pools are concentrated. Check tide tables and then wait for low tide which is the best time for tidepool exploration. Below is a list of our favorite tidepooling areas.
San Diego County
The best tidepooling areas near San Diego are away from the big sandy beaches. First is the Point Loma area including Cabrillo National Monument and the beaches along the Sunset Cliffs neighborhood. Second is the rugged portion of the La Jolla waterfront with the best areas being Hospital Point and La Jolla Caves Beach (see all the La Jolla Tide Pools). Third is a reef called Table Top between Tide Beach Park and Seaside Beach at Cardiff State Beach. Finally there are some tide pools to be discovered at Swami’s and Terramar Beach in Encinitas and Carlsbad.
Orange County
There are several areas to consider if you are looking for tidepools in Orange County. Laguna Beach has many popular tide pool areas such as Rockpile, Fisherman’s Cove, and Crescent Bay, but Laguna doesn’t have an OC monopoly. Newport Beach has an excellent spot just south from Little Corona Del Mar Beach. Nearby at Crystal Cove State Park the beach at Treasure Cove is great at low tide. Finally, the Dana Point Headlands are a fun place to explore.
Los Angeles County
The best tide pools in the LA area are north and south of Santa Monica Bay. One of the best places in all of Socal is Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. The entire Palos Verdes Peninsula has a rugged shoreline with coves full of marine life that is visible at low tide. The best coves are Honeymoon, Christmas Tree, and Golden, but they are not for small kids as access is very steep. Nearby in San Pedro there are tide pools at Point Fermin and White Point that are much safer to access. Finally, to the north in Malibu there are excellent tide pools at Sequit Point in Leo Carrillo State Park and also at Point Dume.
Beaches on this map
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Cabrillo National Monument
There are only a few beach access points in Cabrillo National Monument near San Diego, but this park is loaded with things to see. Point Loma, the peninsula where the […]
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Sunset Cliffs Natural Park – Garbage Beach
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a steep hillside park between Point Loma Nazarene University and the ocean. There are boot-beaten footpaths all over the hillside here to explore. The beach […]
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Whispering Sands Beach
Whispering Sands Beach is a city beach located at the north end of Marine Street Beach in La Jolla. This area is sometimes referred to as Nicholson Point Park even though […]
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Hospital Beach
Hospital Beach, aka “Hospitals,” is located along Coast Boulevard in La Jolla. There is a narrow grass strip on the bluff above this point called Coast Boulevard Park. Hospital Point […]
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Wipeout Beach
Wipeout Beach is a sandy beach south of Children’s Pool Beach along Coast Boulevard in La Jolla. In the winter the sand gets ripped away by storms leaving a rugged […]
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La Jolla Caves Beach
La Jolla Caves Beach is a hidden rocky beach between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores Beach. During low tides you can walk here from La Jolla Shores, but […]
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Tide Beach Park
Tide Beach Park is the north beach of Solana Beach, CA. Hike down a long set of stairs from the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Solana Vista Drive and you’ll […]
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Cardiff State Beach – Seaside Beach
Seaside Beach is a sandy beach in Cardiff State Beach at the border between Solana Beach and the Cardiff-by-the-Sea area of Encinitas, CA. Cardiff State Beach is the long sandy strip along […]
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Swami’s Beach
Swami’s Surf Beach is a famous surfing mecca at the south end of Encinitas, CA. The park at Swami’s Beach is a great vantage point for watching surfers and has […]
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Terramar Beach
Terramar Beach is the narrow beach in front of the Carlsbad California community of Terramar. Technically this beach is part of South Carlsbad State Beach, but there are no signs […]
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Dana Point Headlands Beach
Dana Point Headlands Beach is located below the high crumbling cliffs of the Dana Point Headlands. This is a sandy beach covered with rocks and boulders that has excellent tide […]
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Rockpile Beach
Rockpile Beach is the southern beach of Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, CA. Rockpile Beach is in a south-facing cove with rocky outcroppings at each end. At high tide this […]
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Fisherman’s Cove at Boat Canyon
Fisherman’s Cove Beach is a small south-facing beach tucked away in Laguna Beach, CA. The signage at the entrance to this beach is clearly signed Fisherman’s Cove, but locals also […]
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Crescent Bay Beach
Crescent Bay Beach is a large popular beach in northern Laguna Beach, CA. The main public access is on Cliff Drive one block from where it begins at North Coast […]
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Crystal Cove State Park – Treasure Cove Beach
Treasure Cove Beach at Crystal Cove State Park is accessed from hiking trails that lead down the steep bluff from day-use parking lots inside the Pelican Point entrance. This entrance […]
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Little Corona Del Mar Beach
Little Corona Del Mar Beach is a popular small beach at the end of a ravine called Buck Gully in the Newport Beach neighborhood of Corona Del Mar. This is […]
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Point Fermin Park Beach
Point Fermin Beach is below the steep bluffs of Point Fermin Park and Lighthouse in the San Pedro District of Los Angeles. The beach here isn’t sandy, but the rocky […]
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White Point Beach
White Point Beach is below the steep bluffs at what is officially named “Whites Point” in the San Pedro District of LA. This small beach isn’t for sunbathing. It’s very […]
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Sacred Cove
Sacred Cove Beach is part of Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. This deep cove is bookended by two prominent points, Portuguese Point and Inspiration […]
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Abalone Cove Beach
Abalone Cove Beach can be discovered below the parking lot at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in the city of Rancho Palos Verdes. The bluffs in the park are protected in […]
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Golden Cove
Golden Cove is a semicircular cove just north of Point Vicente in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. This cove doesn’t have a sandy beach, but it has some of the best […]
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Christmas Tree Cove
Christmas Tree Cove is a rocky cove that straddles the border of Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates, CA. The cove doesn’t have a sandy beach, but it does […]
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Honeymoon Cove
Honeymoon Cove is a small cove surrounded by high bluffs with homes built right to the edge in Palos Verdes Estates. The beach in this cove is very rocky so […]
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Point Dume State Beach
Big Dume Beach (a.k.a. Dume Cove Beach) is the main beach at Point Dume State Beach in Malibu. Dume Cove’s crescent-shaped beach faces southeast from the east side of Point […]
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Leo Carrillo State Park – South Beach
South Beach at Leo Carrillo State Park is a sandy spot near the mouth of a creek that flows out (rarely) from Arroyo Sequit. This dry wash drains part of […]
Attractions on this map
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Point Loma Tide Pools
Point Loma holds some of the greatest treasures the San Diego area. The majority of the point is protected in Cabrillo National Monument so it isn’t covered in houses and […]
