A shadow world is revealed when the water retreats

posted 07:07 AM 05/29
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There’s a weird, mysterious world just a few feet away from all of us, but it remains hidden most of the year.

It’s a world of giant, clam-eating snails, weird, bottom-scuttling fish, tiny delicate crabs – and who knows what other wild creatures.

This world is the part of Puget Sound beaches that remain underwater most of the year. But huge minus tides in late spring and early summer uncover these mysterious stretches of gooey mud, waving antennae and squirting siphons.

Some of the biggest minus tides of the year roll out of South Sound on June 22-24. The June 22 low tide in Oakland Bay is at 1:06 p.m., and the water will flow out 3.6 feet below the mean low tide level.

The June 23 low tide at 1:54 p.m. is minus 3.8 feet, and the June 24 2:43 p.m. low tide is minus 3.6 feet.

In short, bring on the undulating, colorful nudibranch – a colorful critter that looks like a swimming bit of Jell-O salad – the squirting geoduck and the giant, tempting oysters.

Visiting a Puget Sound beach at an extreme low tide is lots of fun, but stay well clear of the deep, gooey mud that can stop a strong person like a fly on flypaper.

Stay on the rocky, shelly parts of the beach and enjoy the spectacle. To find the low tide on almost any part of Puget Sound, visit www.saltwatertides.com.

Shellfish season is open on some Puget Sound beaches – and water pollution has permanently closed many others – but it may be a good idea to stay away from shellfish during the summer.

The state Department of Health is warning seafood lovers about eating raw oysters during the warmer waters and days of summer.

Warmer water might spur the growth of nasty bacteria, such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This bacteria can make people sick with vibriosis when warm oysters are eaten raw.

Symptoms included diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, chills and headache – lots of summer fun. The illness can last for two to seven days, and it can be deadly for people with immunity problems or liver disease.

If you’ve gotta have your oysters, you can eat them if you follow these Department of Health tips:

 • Put oysters on ice right after harvest.

 •  Don’t harvest oysters that have been out of water for a long time - or if the temperature is high.

 •  Cook the oysters to 145 degrees for at least 15 seconds to destroy the bacteria. Don’t rinse cooked oysters with seawater, as it can put bacteria right back on the shellfish.

For more safety information on shellfishing, visit www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf.

TICK TOOL

Finally, a lot of readers wrote, called and sent in e-mails after reading last week’s column on ticks. I still feel a little itchy and creepy myself.

Anyway, lots of those calls, e-mails and notes mentioned a tiny, ultra-cheap tool called the Coghlan’s Tick Remover.

I looked it up on the Internet, and it is packaged in the typical Coghlan’s bright-green theme. Readers said the little plastic tool gets a terrific hold on even the tiniest ticks and pulls them out without breaking off nasty mouth parts in your skin.

Michelle Blanchard, who just returned from a birding trip to a tick-saturated spot, had this to say about her Coghlan’s Tick Remover:

“It is very cheap, price wise, but solidly made. It gets even the eeny-teeny seed ticks that conventional tweezers squish.

“You use the tick remover by gently applying the tweezers on the tick and then turning – not pulling! – counter-clockwise. The tick comes out, waving its legs angrily and still very much alive and unharmed. The tool worked every single time.

“After our trip, we were both tested for Lyme disease and both came out negative.

“Ticks are nothing to dismiss – they are dangerous little monsters. The tool I bought as an afterthought and so casually tossed into my birding backpack suddenly became worth its weight in gold. Once I returned to the Pacific Northwest, I bought two more. I will never go bushwhacking again without one.”

Ticks are far creepier than any of the weird-looking – but mostly harmless – creatures that will suddenly be exposed to the world durin those ultra-low tides in June.

So, I think I’m going to buy of couple of those Tick Remover gadgets.

Chester Allen can be reached at 360-754-4226 or callen@theolympian.com.

Comments

Careful inspection and prevention will keep ticks from ruining your summer

posted 06:42 AM 05/22

I don’t want anyone to start feeling itchy or creepy over breakfast, but this is shaping up as an epic year for ticks – the nastiest parasite in the Northwest.

Trail’s beautiful legacy is drawing to a close, but future looks promising

posted 03:41 AM 05/01

NISQUALLY – It’s never easy to say goodbye to an old friend – especially a final goodbye.

Cabela's wild turkey calling clinic, contest set for March 21

posted 04:12 PM 03/12

Cabela's -- that little outdoor store up in Lacey -- will fill up with wild turkey callers on March 21.

Send us your bird photos and maybe win a hat

posted 04:58 PM 02/12

The Olympian's corps of loyal outdoors readers usually has just one chance a week to win an Olympian Outdoor ballcap -- through the Sunday photo contest.

Seen any bald eagles lately?

posted 04:33 PM 02/09

I've seen so many bald eagles this winter -- here in South Sound and also in Oregon. I'm used to seeing the big birds during salmon season -- they love to eat dead salmon -- but I've seen a lot of them all winter long.

Big snowboarding event at Snoqualmie this weekend

posted 09:41 PM 01/28

Want to get outside? Here are three outdoors things to do this weekend

posted 04:58 PM 01/22

First big outdoor show of the season starts Wednesday

posted 02:40 PM 01/19

I'm still shaking the sand of Sayulita, Mexico out of my ears, but I see that the big Washington Sportsmen's Show opens Wednesday at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

White Pass, Snoqualmie to re-open to skiing Saturday

posted 06:34 PM 01/09

White Pass Ski Resort will re-open Saturday and be fully operational from 8:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. The resort posted on its web site that it will be open Sunday from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. It has 80 inches of snow on the base and 110 inches at the summit.

An update on ski resorts, passes

posted 11:56 PM 01/08

How'd it go on the ski slopes?

posted 12:06 AM 12/13

Wrapping up late buck season

posted 03:12 PM 11/17

It must be fall, as Capitol Lake is full of ducks

posted 05:28 PM 11/14

We're pretty lucky to live here in South Sound, as there is so much to do and see outdoors.

Road to Staircase closed

posted 04:00 PM 10/31