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A white sea slug with bright orange speckles clings to a shallow tide pool beside dark brown seaweed and wet sand. The clear water reveals the sandy rock beneath, with soft reflections and scattered bubbles around the marine life.

Cannon Beach Tide Pools

Cannon Beach, OR

The tide pools surrounding Haystack Rock and adjacent Needles rocks form one of the richest intertidal areas on the northern Oregon Coast. Species include colorful sea anemones, sea stars, mussels, hermit crabs, and nudibranchs. The area is protected as a Marine Garden and touching or removing marine life is prohibited.

Photography Guide

Best Time
morning
Crowds
Moderate
Shot Types
detailportrait
Best Seasons
springsummer
Practical Tips
Check NOAA tide charts and visit during minus tides for the most exposed pools. A macro lens or close-focusing zoom is essential. Volunteer interpreters are often present during low tides to help identify species.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

I time these visits by the tide chart and not by my own preference, which is the first thing the tide pools teach you. A minus tide in late spring, ideally at sunrise or just after, is when the pools at the base of Haystack Rock become what you came for. The water pulls back further than seems reasonable and reveals a world that is almost embarrassingly colorful - ochre stars in deep orange, anemones in green so saturated it reads as artificial, the small purple urchins tucked into crevices you have to kneel to see. This is macro work. A wide lens will not save you here. The compositions are tight and low and slow, and the light you want is the soft directional kind that arrives in the first hour after sunrise, before the sun clears the headland and turns everything flat. I shoot from my stomach more often than not. The wet rock is unforgiving on knees and elbows and entirely worth it. A few honest notes. The pools are protected, and the volunteer interpreters in their blue vests are there for good reason. Watch where you step. The mussel beds and the barnacle-crusted rock are alive in a way that does not always read as alive, and the etiquette here is not optional. Work around the creatures rather than moving them. The photograph you want is the one where the animal is in its actual home, doing what it does when no one is watching. Come on a weekday if you can. The crowds at Haystack are real, but at six in the morning during a minus tide, you will mostly have the company of gulls and the occasional heron working the same edges you are.

Gallery

A white sea slug with bright orange speckles clings to a shallow tide pool beside dark brown seaweed and wet sand. The clear water reveals the sandy rock beneath, with soft reflections and scattered bubbles around the marine life. Photo: John Manard / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
A bright green sea anemone fills the center of a shallow tide pool, its tentacles splayed against the sandy bottom. Algae-covered rock and a few shell fragments edge the water, with dark patches of seaweed drifting nearby. Photo: John Manard / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Close-up of a bright orange sea star clinging to a cluster of glossy black mussels in a wet tide pool. Blurred seaweed and algae in the background add green and purple color beneath the rocky intertidal surface. Photo: John Manard / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Close-up of a rocky tide pool covered with speckled sea anemones and wet sand, with bright green and dark red seaweed draped around the crevices. Several anemone openings show pale blue-green centers, creating a textured, colorful intertidal scene. Photo: John Manard / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
A green sea anemone forms a ring in a shallow tide pool, its long tentacles spread over sandy rock beside clusters of smaller reddish anemones. Bright morning glare reflects off the water’s surface, giving the scene a hazy, sunlit look. Photo: Kingofthedead / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of a tide pool rock packed with clustered barnacles and mussel shells in tan, cream, and dark gray tones, with bits of shell grit scattered across the wet surface. The tight framing and shallow depth of field emphasize the rough textures and dense intertidal life. Photo: Kingofthedead / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of a rocky tide pool packed with tightly clustered barnacles, their tan-and-brown shells forming a textured, layered pattern. Wet algae and a few small shell fragments peek through the gaps, with soft natural light highlighting the rough surfaces. Photo: Kingofthedead / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of a barnacle-encrusted tide pool rock covered in tiny white shell fragments and bits of seaweed, with a blurred cluster of yellow barnacles dominating the right side. The shallow water gives the dark, wet surface a glossy sheen. Photo: Kingofthedead / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Shallow tide pools surround barnacle-covered rocks at the base of dark, rugged sea cliffs, with clear green water reflecting the bright overcast sky. Wet sand and algae-streaked boulders fill the foreground, giving the scene a calm low-tide look. Photo: Kingofthedead / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Bright purple and orange sea stars cluster in a shallow tide pool beside wet, dark rock, with black mussels and bits of seaweed scattered across the sandy bottom. The close, low-angle composition highlights the rough intertidal texture and vivid colors. Photo: Dana Hutchinson / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0

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