NATURE : Life at the Beach : A rocky outcropping harbors tide pools that sustain the lives of a myriad sea creatures.

Like a living gray-brown carpet flecked with red, purple and green, sea creatures have spread themselves over jagged rocks and into narrow crevices. The tide pools at Carpinteria State Beach are a habitat for millions of anemone, starfish, limpets, barnacles, mussels and urchins.

“There is more life per square inch in a tide pool than anywhere in the world,” state Park Ranger Wes Chapin said. “As harsh as this environment is, with the waves and the tide going out twice a day and creatures being flooded and drowned and dried out, you still look at the abundance of life here, and it’s incredible.”

He explained that most tide-pool animals anchor themselves to a rock, open their mouths and wait. The ocean rushes in, regularly bringing meals of plankton and sweeping away wastes.

The difference in water depth between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide along the Southern California coast is six to seven feet. The Carpinteria tide pools are underwater in high tide.

“This is a kind of headland,” Chapin said of the outcropping that contains the tide pools. “It’s a geologic formation that has withstood the pounding of the waves all these thousands of years. It’s almost eroded to sea level, but it forms a unique habitat for these animals.”

More mobile animals live here, too. Crabs scurry among the rocks. Seagulls, brown pelicans and migratory birds on their way from the Arctic to Central or South America poke in the sand or dive in the waves. Harbor seals bask on the rocks farthest from shore.

“It’s illegal to approach a seal so that it leaves the rock and goes into the ocean. We try to keep people 25 yards back,” Chapin said.

On a recent afternoon, he was chatting with visitors. Although it was midweek, flocks of people--including a couple from Germany--were scouting the tide pools. Children had come on a field trip.

Eva Maria Zermeno, 10, from Montecito Union School, was fascinated. “I haven’t seen seals this close,” she said.

Classmate Sam Tyler, also 10, was more interested in a crab walking among the rocks. “It has only one claw,” he said.

Lauren Ondre, 9, was dripping from her explorations. “It’s nice to see the animals in their homes,” she said, “not in a tank.”

Other children picked up and petted sea slugs and were greeted with squirts of bright purple ink. Chapin explained that the ink is a defense that temporarily blinds a natural predator and destroys its sense of smell while the slug escapes. He urged the youngsters to replace the slug in a deep pool.

Pointing to a rock encrusted with tightly closed sea anemones, Ranger Steve Hammack invited visitors to use another sense as well. “You can hear them, too,” he said. “Do you hear the bubbling sound?”

Plants also decorate the tide pool rocks. “Sea grass is one of the few flowering plants that has adapted to life in the ocean and it actually flowers underwater,” Chapin said. Algae, too, grows in abundance.

The tide pools aren’t the only attraction at Carpinteria State Beach. It has long been known as a safe swimming beach, shallow and gently sloping. The offshore Channel Islands act as a natural breakwater, so there is little surf and the waves are small.

About a quarter of a mile beyond the tide pools is a geologically active oil seep. Asphalt colors the rocks black and sticks to a passerby’s feet. “This seep is second only in scientific significance to the La Brea Tar Pits, in terms of the information contained in the plants and animals preserved in the tar,” Chapin said.

The ranger sees the beach as a study area and encourages people to read or take classes about tide pools. “You can’t come and say ‘I just love this area,’ ” he said. “You have to combine love with awareness. You can love an area to death with overuse.”

TIPS FOR THE TRIP

Getting there: To reach Carpinteria State Beach, three miles past the Ventura County line heading north, take the Casitas Pass Road exit off the Ventura Freeway. Brown signs will direct you.

When to go: Until the end of the year, minus tides--when tides are at their lowest point--are charted as follows: Dec. 2, 1:21 p.m.; Dec. 3, 2 p.m.; Dec. 4, 2:38 p.m.; Dec. 5, 3:14 p.m.; Dec. 6, 3:49 p.m.; Dec. 7, 4:23 p.m.; Dec. 18, 1:31 p.m., Dec. 19, 2:13 p.m.; Dec. 20, 2:55 p.m.; Dec. 21, 3:39 p.m.; Dec. 22, 4:21 p.m. Check the weather and surf reports, too. Tide charts are usually available at marine and surf shops.

How to dress: Be ready to get wet. Rubber boots or sturdy shoes are vital; do not go barefoot.

Restrictions: Dogs are not allowed on the beach. Very few tide pool plants and animals can be collected legally, and a fishing license is required for those that can be taken. Do not approach the seals.

Fees: Parking is $5. Camping is available at $14 to $23 a night, depending on hookups. Reserve in advance by calling 648-2811 or 1-800-444-7275.