Inshore reefs and tidal pools are important fishing grounds for the men who cast nets, set fish traps and spear fish to feed their families.

The Barbados government protects the island's natural shoreline and its preservation is the responsibility of the Coastal Zone Management Unit.

Tidal pools and their surrounding coral can support hundreds of fish and plant species. Mostly they are small grunts, squirrel and angel fish. Occasionally the larger deep water species like the kingfish will come in to feed and eat an angel or two. Nature's interventions such as this keep the angels on their toes.

There are often soft brown shaded areas seen around tidal pools. These are beds of sea grass growing under the water. The individual strands look just like savanna grass but they do not cluster as closely. Sea grass is an important part of the ecological chain providing food and shelter to many species and protecting the ocean floor from erosion, with a mess of fine fibrous roots that hold the sand in place against the shifting tides.

With the creation of the south coast boardwalk, several more tide pools have emerged.

To discover more about Barbados' natural phenomena, take an island tour.