"Look What I Found": The Joys of Low Tide

Anyone who has spent much time at the beach knows of the special appeal of low tide. That is when the water pulls back its cover and beachcombers walk along the shore to see what has been revealed—be it a clam or a special seashell, a cool-looking rock, or anything else that might inspire the finder to say, “Hey, look what I found.”

LIFE wrote about this rite of summer in a story titled “Low Tide: Odd Creatures Fill Pools.” The particular setting of this story was Kennebunkport, Maine, but the phenomenon it described is familiar to beachlovers everywhere.

High tide along the coast of Maine is magnificent. The sea surges in, roaring over the rocks and beating fierce spray into the air. Low tide along the coast is not nearly so grand but it is much more interesting. After the water gurgles out of the rocky coastal pools, the tiny creatures of the shore and sand can be seen in shallow puddles—the scurrying crabs, the dawdling snails, the immovable barnacles, the curious starfish and see urchins.

The LIFE story featured images from staff photographer Bernard Hoffman which focussed primarily on the children enjoying the tidal pools, and also close-up images of the sea creatues taken by nature writer Rutherford Platt. His pictures of starfish, crabs and more can be seen in the original magazine story.

Hoffman’s images are in this online gallery. Both have their appeal. But for anyone who spent their childhood summers exploring at low tide, Hoffman’s images capture the spirit of what it was like to be at the beach, feet in the wet sand, eyes focussed on the ground, in search of the next amazing discovery.