Beth Cataldo • Art Projects

By bcataldo on May 22, 2015

There are secret beaches and caves that appear out at Point Reyes when there is a negative tide, which is when the water is below the usual tide line. In May, a small group met at 6:30am to trek the 9 miles out to the secret beaches and caves in a secret location at Point Reyes. Along the way, we saw tidal pools filled with thousands of sea urchins and underwater terrain that isn’t usually visible. Rocks and secret caves appear on the beaches, which are also not usually available. That day we were lucky enough to see 13 grey whales heading north. I believe there is no place quite as beautiful as Northern California in the spring.

The beginning of our trek, a nine-mile round-trip walk to find the secret beaches and caves.

A secret beach discovered.

Treacherous paths to the secret beaches.

We passed through this arch, a careful and kind of scary process.

Sea urchins revealed at a minus tide.

Underwater habitats revealed at a minus tide.

Underwater habitats revealed at a minus tide.

One of the arches we passed through to get to the secret beaches.

A secret cave, only at minus tide.

Our leader, Frank, explaining how caves are formed.

A look up from inside the cave.

Crawling out from one of the caves.

Amphitheater at one of the secret beaches at Point Reyes.

A close up at rocks exposed on the secret beach.

And more complex rocks.

Vertical rocks.

We scrambled around that outcropping to get to a secret beach.

More vertical rocks.

Rocks.

We turned back just in time to not get stuck out there as the tide came in.