Mile 303 Report
Oswald West SP, Smuggler Cove, Short Sand Beach
August 14, 2022
This morning CoastWatch hosted an educational walk with Stewart Schultz - 18 people were a part of the walk, but others joined as the session went on (for about 3 hours).
Report Details
This morning CoastWatch hosted an educational walk with Stewart Schultz - 18 people were a part of the walk, but others joined as the session went on (for about 3 hours). Low tide morning, super weather. We started at the north end tide pools to view the sea star survey site, but those boulders were pretty engulfed in sand, so we moved to the south end tide pools. We were able to enter into the cave and observe a lot of intertidal rocky habitat life - dorids, sea stars, sponge and more. Notable to Schultz especially were the amount of razor clams beneath the surface of the sand, which he says is more than he has ever seen.
Conditions
Temperature: 61 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Tide Level: -1.5 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 66. Number of dogs: 9. Walking or running: 14. Playing in surf: 6. Playing in sand: 2. Tidepooling: 26. Surfing: 18. Other Activities: Additional people not counted walking to and from the beach on the main trail from the main parking lot (with bathroom).
Concerns
Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs
Vehicles
Cars/trucks parking: 59. RVs/Buses parking: 1.
Notable Wildlife
Countless brown pelicans flying south
Stranded Marine Mammals
Total stranded mammals: 1. Dead sea lion near high tide line, north of the Short Sand Creek
Driftline Content
Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Styrofoam.
Report Images
jessejones
CoastWatcher
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Mile 303
Oswald West SP, Smuggler Cove, Short Sand Beach
Pleasant cloudy morning on the beach at low tide, saw good number of sea stars.
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Oswald West SP, Smuggler Cove, Short Sand Beach
This morning CoastWatch hosted an educational walk with Stewart Schultz - 18 people were a part of the walk, but others joined as the session went on (for about 3 hours).
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Oswald West SP, Smuggler Cove, Short Sand Beach
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