One of the best ways to make the most of an ultra-low daytime tide is walking out to Indian Island, right off Eastsound. Normally surrounded by water, it becomes accessible via a “tombolo” – a raised trail that is uncovered by ebbing water.
The scientists who run Kwiaht, a conservation biology lab here in the San Juans, look after the island and its surroundings and conduct studies while monitoring the low-tide foot traffic.
We like to head out there to see what amazing creatures we happen upon – there are some beauts almost every time, things we never normally see just a hop, skip, and a jump away on the regular shore.
We don’t bring the net out to the island; if it gets used at all, it’s when the tide comes back in, and only for very gentle catch-and-release moments of creature exploration.
This is a geoduck (pronounced “gooey” duck), which is a bivalve that lives under the sand and extends its very long, very strong “neck” to reach the surface. Whenever you see water spouting high into the air, that’s a geoduck. It has siphoned water in, filtered it for plankton and nutrients, and shot out the excess.
Here are Russel Barsh, Kwiaht’s director, and Madrona Murphy, Kwiaht’s botanist – both human encyclopedias – instructing Justin Derr on taking a bivalve census.
Walk out to the island with us now for a little tour of what you might see.
It’s a beautiful little circular jaunt around the island, invariably including gentle warnings to tourists that they keep an eye on the incoming tide, as it tends to creep back up silently and surprisingly. It’s easy to get lost in the amazingness of the island’s back side and then have to wade back to the shore with family members on your shoulders.
Once the water is hugging the sides of the tombolo, it isn’t long before it completely closes up – only a few minutes…
In just moments it went from dry trail to underwater. The Kwiaht folks finished their studies as the water slowly flooded their plot.
And shore-bound we became.
Again, just lovely photos and so informative! I don’t care for the signage ‘if you came by ferry you probably shouldn’t be here’….everyone on the island has come by ferry at one time or another. We own property but for now travel back and forth…seems very unfriendly and unnecessary. I’m disappointed to see that. I hope Orcas will put a friendly face on for those who do manage to visit…the economy can use the boost.
I thought that at first as well, then realized, the signage was for INDIAN ISLAND, so kind of a joke. Get it?
I personally love seeing tourists. I might be the exception, but I love when the world visits us. So far in my experience this summer, the tourists have been very conscientious of distancing and mask-wearing. I haven’t had a stranger get in my “bubble” (it only happened to me with a local!).