Explore San Diego Tide Pools with a Marine Biologist

Overview

Available languages

English

1 hour

Mobile ticket

Adventure with a marine biology educator along the coast and learn more about wildlife living in the intertidal zone of San Diego. Great for all ages and skill levels. There are some stairs and lots of uneven terrain we will walk on, so this is not a wheelchair-friendly activity.

I taught middle and high school marine biology for more than a decade before committing to environmental tourism! With fifteen years of teaching youth and adults in outdoor education settings, plus my background in conservation biology, provides guests with in-depth (pun intended) knowledge of marine life during our tide pool exploration.

**Important: After booking you will receive a welcome message with important details. Be sure to have notifications and/or emails from your booking platform turned on!**

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Digital photo album

Gratuities

closed-toe shoes/strapped sandals that might get wet (required to participate)

What To Expect

Explore the fascinating world of tide pools and discover the incredible variety of animal and plant life that inhabit these unique ecosystems! With guided tours for all ages, you'll learn about different species that live in the tide pools, their adaptations to survive in this environment, and what you can do to protect them. So come join us and experience the wonders of the tide pools! Tide pools, or rocky intertidal zones, are small collections of ocean water trapped by rocks as the ocean level recedes. This area is covered by the ocean half of the day- during high tide- and the pools are exposed at low tide, which creates a unique, yet fragile, habitat for lots of small invertebrates and fish. At our meeting spot, you will receive a brief talk on safety and tide pool rules, as all San Diego tide pools have a strict "no collection" policy. Once we understand how to tide pool safely and respectfully, the adventure begins! Any living animals found will be left on their own; we do not interfere, touch, or handle any living marine life, following Viator's Animal Welfare Policy.

Options

Explore San Diego Tide Pools with a Marine Biologist

Reviews

4.99

175 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

174

Fun tide pooling
akcedar2017,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour was fun and informative. I enjoyed learning all about tide pooling in San Diego. I would definitely recommend this experience!
Very interesting
David S,
Nov 2, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We really enjoyed Matt’s information and guidance. He was friendly and easy going, answering all aorts of questions
Great excursion to leave about tide pools
R7231TGmeganw,
Oct 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Matt was a fantastic guide - knowledge, curious, humorous. He was able to answer our questions, and was very knowledgeable about the local tide pools. He did a great job keeping it engaging for both children and adults. Highly recommend!
Snorklematt was very...
Elizabeth O,
Oct 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Snorklematt was very knowledgeable. It was a laid back tour and he let us move at our own pace. Would definitely recommend to others.
First time tide pooling with STEM nerd college students
R9302MPmarisas,
Oct 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our young adult children really appreciated being able to ask a lot of questions. He was good at balancing their more science heavy questions with just cool stuff to engage the younger kids/people who did not know as much about the subject.
Tide pool tour
triggs6,
Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our family of 4 loved the tide pool tour with Matt. He did a great job explaining everything and answering questions , especially from our 6 year old! It was a great way to learn what you’re looking for while tide pooling and be able to take that knowledge and do it on your own in the future. At the end of the tour my son said, wait it’s already over?! Thanks for a great time, Matt!
Amazing tide pool tour
DarrenS2968,
Oct 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Really cool experience exploring the tide pools of La Jolla ! Matt was an amazing guide and was really knowledgeable about all the sea creatures we saw. Definitely a great introduction as our first time tide pooling.
Wicked cool to look at tide pools
G735BQsarahs,
Sep 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We kicked off our California trip with this experience and so glad we did. It was fun and interesting, would definitely recommend if you're in San Diego!
Wonderful Tide Pool Tour
X3234HXkellyd,
Sep 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Matt was a wonderful guide. He was so friendly, kind & knowledgeable. He gave us scientific information & then made that information relatable. He even took photos throughout the tour & sent them to us. I highly recommend him & this tour.
Well worth it
drmillerlg,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was very enjoyable. I love the tidal environment and spent a good bot of time in coastal California years ago. However, going with a guide really helps one understand life in these special environments. We saw several fish species, molasks, crans. and a small lobster. Also a few different birds.