Tidepools in Mal Pais

Just 2 kilometers south of Santa Teresa is Mal Pais beach, not as known as the previously mentioned or Montezuma but still worth visiting, especially for those who like to be in contact with mother nature.

The beach isn’t exactly friendly with casual bathers because the rocky sea bottom can be hurtful for the feet. Still, it has its own way to attract visitors, the forest is just some steps away from the sea and you can watch many birds and other small reptiles lurking in the area. A big plus is since it is away from town you can hear the wind going through the forest without the interruption of “human” sounds.

So, you say, a cool place to take a pleasant walk at sunset?
Well, if you are looking for a special way to watch sea lifeforms Mal Pais has a lot of tide pools!

For thousands of years, the waves have dig cavities of different sizes in the rocky soil, when the sea retires it leaves natural pools that home many curious species of animals, from urchins and barnacles to starfish.

Living in a tide pool is not easy for these creatures, when the tide is low, the oxygen level decreases and the temperatures get high. When the tide is back the pool receives fresh and cold water but also carries depredators.

Plankton and other microorganism serve as food for the smaller ones then these are the meal to the bigger, still, according to studies, without the presence of predators, smaller creatures could disappear in less than 10 years so the food chain is very convoluted in the tide pools.

So while you are not surfing and the tide is low, sounds good to check out these natural pools on Mal Pais. Please be careful, these ecosystems are delicate and human intervention can affect them negatively, so watch it from a cautious distance.