Low tide at Pacific City

One of the reasons we come to the coast is to explore the exposed rocks at low tide. We are always anxious to see what is new and what has changed and what has moved. At the end of our 5 day stay we hit the jackpot this morning.

For the unknowing, there is a low tide about every 12 hours. The problem is that low doesn't always mean lowest. Simply, the mathematically mean (average) low tide is said to be "0". Those that are not the lowest are known as plus (+) tides and those that are less than the average (mean) are minus (-) tides. In the local tide table booklet published by the Chamber of Commerce they show the minus tides in RED. Well, we had a red, minus low tide this morning; almost 2 feet below the average. That is one that guarantees a good look at what is going on beneath the ocean at beach level.

To see it, we were up at 6:00 a.m. and trekked out to the spot we go to by 7:40. In addition, the clouds parted and we had a strong east sun shining on the rocks. It was a beautiful sight and well worth the early get-up time. I have shown pictures in the past, and will likely post some on Flickr later in the day, but for now, you just have to take my word for it. A minus low tide at Pacific City is worth seeing.