Over reading week, I was able to spend some time at Botanical Beach. It’s one of my favourite places to visit on the island, I absolutely love the different rock formations, waves, and incredible sea life. Unfortunately this time of year is not the best for tide pool exploration. The lowest tide occurs around 2am, with a more mid-tide occurring around noon. During this mid-tide, the tide doesn’t go out incredibly far and if the waves are quite big it’s difficult to access the tide pools. Even though I wasn’t able to see as much sea life as I would be able to in a different season, I still enjoyed exploring the rocks and watching the waves crash in.
One of the only creatures I saw while there- a purple sea urchin! Usually the deeper tide pools at Botanical are crawling with these.
One of the deep tide pools- difficult to see, but this one was about 6ft deep. Waves were coming in and the light was flat so I wasn’t able to see if there was much living in this pool.
Some of the more rounded, smooth rock formations perfect for sea life at Botanical
More jagged formations around the corner from Botanical Beach, at Botany Bay. I’d never visited this part of the hike down before and it was so interesting how different the rock formations are even though the two spots are so close to one another.
The next time I visit I’d like to plan a trip around the best low tide times so it’s safe and I’m able to see some of the giant anemones, nudibranchs, and any other interesting creatures.
