Exploring Point Holmes at Low Tide

By Keith and Heather Nicol

The rocky tide pools have lots of interesting life

      Mother’s Day in Courtenay, BC had amazing weather for the time year with afternoon temperatures in the mid to high 20’s C so we decided to head to Pt Holmes  to check the tide pools. The tide at 2:45 pm for Sunday, May 10 was just 0.5 meters which we knew meant that many of the bedrock tide pools would be exposed.  For those people not familiar with this area it is to the right of the boat launch and there is parking for a number of cars just off of Lazo Road. Because of the large tides in this area the tide pools are 200-300 meters from the parking area and footing can be tricky especially near the rocky outcrops. We wore hiking shoes but some people we saw were wearing rubber boots. Flip flops or similar sandals are not recommended given the slippery, seed weed covered rocks. 

Crow with a Midshipman Fish

     We saw many ochre sea stars clinging to the underside of clefts in the rock and in the tidal pools.

Ochre Sea Stars are making a comeback

We saw a large green anemone with its delicate tentacles as well as lots of small crabs. This is also the time of year for midshipman fish to come to these tidal areas to lay their eggs. They like to lay their eggs under rocks where they will be protected from predators but sometimes birds can find them and score an easy meal. We saw a crow fly from rock to rock carrying a midshipman trying to keep it away from other crows. We also saw a gull with some sort of tide pool fish. It was interesting to watch the gull try to eat this fish and then spit it out and try again before finally swallowing it whole. Next time we go we are going to bring a guide book to help us identify many of the other creatures we saw under the rocks and in the tide pools.  Bring your camera and binoculars since you don’t know what you might see.

Gull with a fish either coming up or going down