Low tides reveal a whole new world

One weekend we went on a search for hermit crabs. My five-year-old daughter was filled with facts and photos from library books, and she imagined them in their glittering shells, waiting for her on the sand. "I'm going to find the most beautiful princess of all the hermit crabs," she said. "And her name will be Princess Tajmahala."

We arrived at the beach and the kids walked among pilings that were newly exposed by the tide. Barnacles and mussels greeted them at eye level so they could see for themselves that the place they were standing was once at the bottom of the sea.

My three-year-old stuck out a chubby finger and gently felt the slimy outside of a sea anemone, all curled up and half hidden between the rocks. Some older kids came down and started turning over rocks looking for shore crabs, so we did the same and were rewarded with crabs of all colors and sizes, from thumbnail to just right for the palm of a little hand. My daughter pointed out the most beautiful and gave them names as my son tried to scoop them up, his tiny hands cupping gently.

I picked up one that was dull brown and to our surprise she was carrying hundreds of tiny eggs under a flap in her belly. "Can I see her?" My daughter asked bravely, and for the first time she held a crab-this safe, good mother crab-in her own small hands.

A sea star lay on the beach, abandoned by the older kids. We felt its rough skin and I turned it over gently. Though it seemed weak, I showed my worried son that the tiny tube feet were still moving on one arm, and he immediately decided to save its life. He waded out a little bit and let it go beyond the reach of beachcombers and seagulls, a proud and capable younger brother, hero for one day.

Up ahead we saw a dock that was still floating in the shallow water. Walking down its very steep ramp reminded us just how low the tide had fallen. Looking down at the pilings below, the kids began to shout and point. "Another star! An anemone! Look I see a crab-three crabs-four!"

The underwater pilings were thick with marine life: barnacles, mussels, tube worms like red feather dusters, stars of orange and purple, kelp crabs picking over everything. "We touched those at the aquarium!" they squealed, amazed to find such a wealth of wildness in nature.

Walking back we agreed that we had seen a lot of creatures at low tide, "even though we didn't find hermit crabs," my daughter added. We half-heartedly exclaimed over tiny periwinkle snails with swirly shell patterns that the children pointed out to us on the way back to the car, until suddenly a shell my son placed in my hand sprouted a bunch of tiny legs! "Hermit crabs!" We all exclaimed as we saw that the large rock at our feet was covered with dozens of pea-sized hermit crabs. "Isn't she beautiful?" My daughter cooed again and again. "She's the princess. This one is, too…"

My son quietly picked them up one by one with two careful fingers, and waited for them to open up in his palm and walk around.

"Oh, that one is so pretty!" My daughter said to him. "Is yours a princess? What's its name?"

He thought about it for a minute and then answered proudly, "Ninja Crabby!"

We all laughed, then made our way back up the last bit of rocky beach, leaving the hermits to their rich fantasy life under the returning sea.

Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists are available to help you explore seven local beaches in July. Look for naturalists at South Alki, Golden Gardens, Carkeek Park, Lincoln Park, Richmond Beach, Des Moines, and Seahurst on these dates and times:

Lowest tide dates for the Seattle area in July will be July 20 and 21, with tides peaking right around lunchtime. The Edmonds ferry dock is a popular destination for "super low tide" because of the exposed pilings, which are home to many marine invertebrates.

If you visit a beach this summer, please remember to treat all living things with respect. Soft bodied animals like anemones are especially vulnerable out of water, and an animal that is attached to a rock or piling should not be lifted or moved. "Gently, with one finger," is the way we teach our children to touch these fragile animals. Small crabs and snails can be safely handled and returned carefully to the place you found them. Walk carefully, and return rocks to their original position. Never remove any living thing from the beach. These are wild animals and during low tide we are fortunate to be guests, temporarily, at their homes at the bottom of the sea. The Princesses and Ninja Crabby will thank you.