04/04/2026
Lara found one of these guys, a red cushion sea star, caught floating around in the rough surf this week, so she walked in and helped it settle on the bottom.
At first glance, they seem tough—thick, textured, kind of heavy, but cushion sea stars are more sensitive than they look.
They rely on the water around them to function, and lifting them up out of the water can stress them, impact their breathing, and cause them to fill with air. Surprisingly, incidents like the one Lara witnessed can even kill them.
It’s possible the one she encountered was just stirred off the bottom by the waves, but it’s also possible a passerby had picked it up, then placed it back down, not knowing it could no longer sink itself to the bottom.
They’re beautiful creatures, relatively rare, and they photograph beautifully from just beneath the surface, which is why we teach our guests to leave them exactly where we find them.
