Thornback Ray on a Zero Tide

The warm weather and low tide brought us back to the beach today. It was a zero tide, which, a tide-pool docent explained is calculated as the point between the highest and lowest tides of the year. This zero tide brought us a very rare treat - a Thornback Ray. 

 According to an article on California Diving News, "the thornback's genus name, Platyrhinoidis, comes from the Greek platys, meaning broad, and rhinos, meaning snout. The species name, triseriata, is Latin for three rows and refers to the parallel rows of "thorns" that run from the middle of the creature's back to just before its tail."

Here's an unanswered question: What causes these sand pile holes? My guess is some kind of worm. I've observed them as they are made, but the animal can not be seen. I have also tried to dig up the hole to find the creature, and it evades me. I have read that lug worms create a crater with a hole in it, but this is a pile with a hole in it. Maybe a similar species?

You can just catch a glimpse of one of the holes being cleared out in this video

Octopus Adventures

"Twice a month the shore experiences extreme tides. When the sun, earth, and moon are in a straight line, their combined tug causes spring, or extra high and low tides. When the sun and moon are in right-angle position with regard to the earth, their influence is less, as the respective pulls tend to cancel each other out. The ensuing neap tides, as they are called, have a small rise and fall. Excessive spring tides occur in May and June and in November and December, prior to and around the summer and winter solstices." ~An Island Called California, p.3

California Aglaja (Navanax Inermis)

Black Sea Hare (Aplysia Vaccaria)

Coralline Algae (Lithothamnion sp.)

The dark area beneath the rock slab in the foreground is the Octopus' lair

My 5yo found the first octopus on one side of this rock after seeing it, the following video shows how we found the next one on the other side of the same rock.