Explore The Shore!

Low tide at Spanish Banks, Vancouver B.C. Photo credit: Clair Dolan

Check out our Explore The Shore Challenge here!!

Sometimes it can be hard to see what is right under our noses. We go to the shore and play in the sand and the ocean, but how often do we really take the time to sit and just look and explore what is right there around us?

Flip over some rocks (just remember to put them back the way you found them) and see if you can find some crabs – can you tell what species they are, or if they are male or female? As you dig in the sand while building a sandcastle maybe you will feel some little creatures jumping on your hands – these are sand hoppers, a type of crustacean, that like to stay buried in the sand.

Does the shore look different if you visit at high tide or low tide? (Learn more about tides here). At low tide, the water recedes and uncovers the intertidal zone. Maybe you can see different species of seaweed, or perhaps you will see marine birds wading in the shallows, such as the Great Blue Heron, waiting to catch their next meal. There could be rock pools hiding in the shallows, where small sea creatures are hiding and waiting for the tide to come back in. What can you see along the high tide line? Maybe there are feathers from sea birds, or empty sea shells, sticks and logs or, unfortunately, trash or plastic from human activities that have washed up along the shore (learn how to do a shoreline cleanup here).

Have you ever thought about going to the shore at different times of the day? What do you think you might you see if you go to the shore early in the morning, as the sun is rising and the animals are waking up, before people have come to enjoy the sand and surf? What do you think you might see if you go to the shore in the evening, when the animals are getting ready to go to sleep for the night?

From Kitsilano Beach to Jericho and Spanish Banks, all the way across to Ambleside on the North Shore, and Deep Cove in Indian Arm, Metro Vancouver’s urban shores offer so many different habitats – sandy beaches, intertidal mud flats, rocky shores, and so much more!

Would you like to learn more about the species that live on our local Vancouver shores? Why not join Sea Smart’s Explore The Shore Challenge? You can spend anywhere from five minutes to 45 minutes exploring and learning more about your local shores (or longer if you want). The challenge includes downloadable and printable package that has 30 challenges to do, as well as 10 location-specific challenges. Plus you can win great prizes by taking part, as long as you sign up and take part by September 30th, 2021. It is a great way to get the whole family outside and engaged with nature. When you take the time to really stop and observe everything that is going on around you when you are at the shore, you will be amazed at what you can discover!

You can also check out Sea Smart’s free resources to help families learn more about their local shorelines. Download, print and use these resources whenever it works for you.