Hidden Gem: The Tide Pools at the North End of Eiseman's Beach

What’s the best place to catch hermit crabs, baby lobsters, snails, crabs, eels, starfish and spider crabs in town? The tide pools at the north end of Eisman’s Beach of course!

When the tide goes out, it leaves dozens and dozens of tide pools and rocks for young and old hands to turn over.

With the sun setting and dead low tide arriving after six o’clock on a recent Saturday, the numbers of hunters were down from earlier in the day, but there were still quite a few folks looking under the rocks to grab a sea creature or two.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl,” Sylvia, who grew up on Morton Road said. "I came here as a child, I brought my daughter here and now I’m bringing my grandson, all you need is a pail and some curiosity and you’ll find lots of great things.”

On the sand, beach shoes aren’t a necessity, but once you move out into the water, footwear is recommended to avoid getting cut on the sharp rocks and barnacles that guard the tide pools.

Two boys had a red Pep Boys bucket filled with hermit crabs, a medium-sized spider crab and a small lobster or two, taking advantage of the open spaces to look in the late afternoon sun.

“It’s fun, we turn over rocks and catch stuff, and then we let it go when we have to go home,” Cody said. “I come to this beach all the time when I visit my aunt, she lives on Humphrey Street.”

If you’re coming to Eisman’s Beach to look for things in the tide pools, your best bet is to check out the tide chart, which is posted next to the walkway where the lifeguards sit.

“I don’t look for crabs as much as I used to, but I love coming here, and the view of the sun setting over town and the Boston skyline are beautiful,” Sylvia said.