This was West Beach Resort at high tide the afternoon we arrived on Orcas Island, Washington. I was very surprised the next morning to see the beach at low tide! (see next photo) Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the water in the Earth's oceans. A bulge of water is pulled around the Earth 2 - 4 times a day, depending on the location.
West Beach Resort at low tide the next morning revealed many interesting animals --- tiny crabs, hermit crabs and sculpins in the tidepools, beach hoppers and shore birds. It was amazing how far out the water was at low tide.
We had planned to go to the Channel Islands on our visit to southern California, but the boat trip was cancelled due to high winds. It may have been a crazy thing to do, but we went to the beach anyway despite the 50 mph sustained winds. It turned out to be a lot of fun, we were the only people on the beach and we could lean into the wind without falling down!
