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by Stuart Jenner.Have you ever seen the sand that’s been formed into a casing by a moon snail? [caption id="attachment_18680" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Seahurst Beach moon snail casing (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]They are a common sight on Puget Sound beaches: they’re made up of sand, mucus and eggs. What’s uncommon is seeing the moon snail making the casing. This story is a photo essay, a safari at Seahurst beach at low tide on June 5 and 6, 2024.
There are several other opportunities this summer to see the beach at low tide. As reported on this page about the Seattle Aquarium beach naturalist program, here are the dates:
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Seahurst Park Beach Naturalists (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]The beach naturalists are trained by the aquarium to assist visitors in learning about the wonders of Puget Sound. They have placards and sometimes books to help identify the marine plants and animals. They are friendly, love science and volunteer to help people of all ages learn about the beaches. They serve at 11 beaches from Richmond Beach in the north to Dash Point in the south.The five sets of very low tide days each year provide a distinctive opportunity to experience Puget Sound beaches. One can see much more than at a regular low tide. June 6, 2024 was a very low -3.36, meaning the tide was 3.36 feet below the average low tide. On June 7, the low was nearly as low, at -3.32. Here’s a photo safari of low tide on those days, taken with a Canon camera and several different lenses.Seahurst Park is also home to the Marine Tech Center which is a facility of the Puget Sound Skills Center, operated by the Highline School District. There are various classes during the school year and also the summer that help students develop career skills.Also in the photos: students from the Renton and Tahoma school districts. Several hundred students, teachers and chaperones were on a field trip on June 6.For additional beach activities, check the web site of the Environmental Science Center at Seahurst for upcoming events, including walks, tidepool for tots and more.
I think the best illustration of how much lower the beach is comes from seeing this sign at the north end, delineating the edge of the park from private beachfront. The barnacles on this sign are roughly 11 feet higher than the sand. That marks the water depth often found in this location![caption id="attachment_18652" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
North end of Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]Seahurst beach goes much further north than is first evident. This photo is taken from the northern edge of the park. The cluster of rocks is hard to see in this wide angle photo. [caption id="attachment_18660" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
View from north end of Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
There are hundreds of moon snail casings at Seahurst beach. But in dozens of trips to beaches over the years, I’ve never seen a moon snail creating a casing. The naturalists said this is a very unusual sight! It takes around 30 minutes to form the casing. Also unusual: a set of four casings, each inside the other.Here’s a close up of a moon snail shell:[caption id="attachment_18656" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Moon snail shell at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]Moon snail laying eggs to create the casing:[caption id="attachment_18654" align="aligncenter" width="499"]
Moon snail creating casing at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]Four casings (plus a clam shell):[caption id="attachment_18668" align="aligncenter" width="499"]
Four moon snail casings at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
Several hundred feet – the exact distance varies depending on the terrain. When walking on the beach at low tide, one can see how there are dips and rises in the sand and rocks. Some areas are higher than others, so the distance from the high tide mark varies. These three photos attempt to show the lowest level, then 50 minutes later, how much the tide has come in, and finally the tide line 90 minutes after low tide. [caption id="attachment_18655" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption][caption id="attachment_18664" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Seahurst Beach 6/5/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption][caption id="attachment_18665" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Seahurst Beach 6/5/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
In, on and under rocks.Just south of the Marine Tech building, a few hundred feet from the shoreline, there’s a group of several rocks. The biggest is six feet tall … and has a wealth of life. This rock and others nearby host sea cucumbers, sea anemones, crabs, welks, sea stars, tube worms, and an uncountable number of barnacles. The large rock is prominent in many of the other photos, for example in the three photos of the previous section.[caption id="attachment_18663" align="aligncenter" width="499"]
Prominent rock feature at Seahurst Beach 6/5/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
Sea Cucumbers hiding in a crevice:[caption id="attachment_18662" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Sea cucumbers at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]Seastars under a rock:[caption id="attachment_18661" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Seastars at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
There are a lot of seagulls and some crows. Other birds were not present on the beach during the low tide. The birds avoid people, so they were not at the rocks. Most were grazing in the areas with a lot of sand, looking for anything that moved. They like crabs, fish and more...Crow announcing his presence:[caption id="attachment_18659" align="aligncenter" width="501"]
Crow at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]The water was very clear, so this seagull had a lot of visibility when flying:[caption id="attachment_18658" align="aligncenter" width="502"]
Seagull over the Puget Sound. Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
There’s magical something about standing on the edge of the water, looking across Puget Sound and Vashon, the Kitsap peninsula, and seeing the Olympics with snow capped peaks. It felt different to look at them from the water’s edge even compared to looking at them from the top of the beach.[caption id="attachment_18657" align="aligncenter" width="503"]
Looking west from Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
Volunteers, experts, environmentalists - they are fun to talk with:[caption id="attachment_18675" align="aligncenter" width="499"]
Beach Naturalists at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
At low tide, one can see and walk on eel grass. It grows in sand, and in the years since the bulk head removals, has made a remarkable recovery. It is key to the entire eco system: it provides food and a hiding place for small fish, which in turn are food for birds and other sea life.[caption id="attachment_18653" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Eel grass at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
Crab molt - a crab outgrew this shell:[caption id="attachment_18667" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Crab molt at Seahurst Beach 6/6/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
Go. Visit. Find something you’ve not seen before. Every time I go to the beach, I think there’s no way I could find something new. Every time, I come away thinking “I saw something I’ve never seen before." Be inspired by these children![caption id="attachment_18666" align="aligncenter" width="501"]
Children experiencing Seahurst Beach low tide 6/5/24 (photo by Stuart Jenner)[/caption]
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