Tide Pool Explorience

Tide Pool Explorience programs take place at the NW 15th Street beach access and begin with an overview from local experts from Oregon Shores. Guides will take you on a tide pool tour to identify and explore local marine life, including sea stars, anemones, urchins, and other colorful creatures. The Explorience will last approximately one hour. This program is free, and registration is not required.

To get to the NW 15th Street beach access from Highway 101, turn west onto NW 15th Street and continue toward the ocean. There is ample street parking as well as a public parking lot nearby. Parking is also available at the Seagull Beachfront Motel near the beach access.

Essential Tide Pool Gear

Exploring our tide pools can be a slippery business, and we recommend bringing:

• Rubber boots
• Rain jacket
• Gloves
• Sunscreen

2026 Tide Pool Explorience Dates

Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 8:00 AM
Monday, April 20, 2026, at 8:30 AM
Saturday, May 2, 2026, at 8:00 AM
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 8:30 AM
Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 9:30 AM
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 8:00 AM
Friday, July 3, 2026, at 9:00 AM
Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 8:00 AM
Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 8:00 AM
Thursday, August 12, 2026, at 8:00 AM

Times for this Explorience program are determined based on low tide schedules.

For Questions:
Email: Visitors@ExploreLincolnCity.org
Phone: 541-996-1274

Safety

Weather and ocean conditions can be unpredictable on the Oregon Coast. Please be mindful and practice beach safety during the Tide Pool Explorience. Always face the ocean, be wary of beach logs and debris, protect wildlife habitat, and keep small children and animals near you at all times.

Lincoln City Exploriences

Discover Lincoln City's Explorience program, a series of free, hands-on learning events led by local experts.

Check out all of our Explorience Programs.

Tide Pools in Lincoln City

There are several great places to explore tidepools in Lincoln City. To learn more about tide pool locations and the sea life that inhabits them, please visit our Tide Pool page.

Instructors

Our local experts will guide you through your experience. You bring your sense of adventure; they bring years of experience.

Fawn Custer brings her 25-plus years of teaching experience to this year’s Tide Pool Explorience Programming. She earned a BS in Science Education, a BS in Biological Sciences, an MS in Environmental Education, and an MS in Integrated Sciences with postgraduate courses in learning behavior and free-choice learning. Fawn is the former Volunteer Coordinator for Oregon Shores, where she worked with volunteers along the Oregon Coast to educate students about marine science around the region. She is an active member of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators and the Oregon Science Teachers Association. In her spare time, she loves exploring the Oregon Coast with her family.

Athena Crichton has lived on the Oregon Coast for over 20 years. Relocating from the Big Island of Hawaii, she has always had a profound interest in marine biology. Educated at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Oregon State University, Athena has spent the last 16 years teaching a variety of classes at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center. In addition, she teaches marine education at the Oregon Coast Aquarium and has spent three years as Senior Marine Naturalist on Marine Discovery Tours in Newport. In her spare time, Athena enjoys spending time with her grandson, Parker, sailing, and yes, going to the beach.

Explore Lincoln City is proud to partner with Oregon Shores to bring you this year’s Tide Pool Explorience programming. For more than 50 years, Oregon Shores has served as the state’s leading voice when it comes to protecting the beaches, headlands, landscapes, and ecosystems that make Oregon’s coast so spectacular and loved. Through Oregon Shores, you can learn about shoreline ecology and contribute to coastal research and conservation by adopting a mile of the Oregon Coast as a CoastWatch Volunteer. To learn more about Oregon Shores' community science projects, advocacy initiatives, and volunteer opportunities, visit OregonShores.org.