COUNTYWIDE : Low Tides Lure Visitors to the Beach

Drawn by the warm weather and freed of work by the national holiday, dozens of visitors from across Orange County converged on the tide pools and caves at Crystal Cove on Monday afternoon, where unusually low tides offered a rare glimpse of the area’s marine life.

Kathy Agrelius and Jo Hart read about the low tides in the weekend newspaper, so the Brea friends packed up their children to explore the nooks and crannies of one of Orange County’s most isolated beaches.

While their children squealed in delight with each shellfish and sea urchin uncovered, Agrelius and Hart said the plant and animal life in the tide pools didn’t seem to be quite as plentiful as they remembered from the same treks they made as children.

“I remember we used to see starfish, crabs, octopus, sand dollars,” said Agrelius, 35, a homemaker with four children. “But the only thing we have really seen today are some hermit crabs and some urchins.”

“But for the kids, it is still a perfect day,” added Hart, 38, who owns a nail salon and has two children.

Low tide Monday dipped to 1.7 feet below sea level, uncovering plenty to keep the children amused.

“This is cool,” said Brian Agrelius, 10, a fourth-grader. “We get to pick up things and touch them.”

His 8-year-old sister, Kelly, agreed. “We get to see things we don’t get to see,” she said.

Monday’s tide reached its ebb in Orange County at 3:11 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, a similar low tide will occur at 3:51 p.m. today, with a more normal low tide returning Wednesday.

The low tides are caused by the gravitational effect of the moon, which is passing closer than usual to the Earth.

The tide pools are ponds of water captured by rocks when the ocean recedes. With the water, the nooks also capture whatever sea life is not pulled back into the sea.

Huntington Beach resident Mickey Fagan and his family took advantage of the low tide to explore two caves inside a bluff that is usually filled, at least partially, with water.

Hundreds of tiny shellfish, most no more than an inch in diameter, clung to the caves’ lower walls. Scores of rocks, some weighing more than 40 pounds, lay exposed on the cave floors.

“We usually come down about once a month, but the tides don’t usually get this low, only at this time of year,” said Fagan, 30.

“This is great for the kids. They love it down here.”