The King Tides off San Diego’s coast over the weekend brought a crowd of people that did more than just look at the tide pools. In fact, some visitors to the state-protected La Jolla coast may have broken the law. “I saw people taking animals in marine protected areas, putting them in buckets and handling them inappropriately,” Savannah Ekelem said as she looked out over the La Jolla tide pools on Monday morning. Ekelem calls herself an extreme hobbyist who is passionate about protecting the ocean. She is also a nursing student and active on the social media platform TikTok, where she is known as “Seavannah1.” Savannah Ekelem points to some of the La Jolla tide pools she has studied and continues to advocate for ocean protections, Monday, La Jolla, Calif., January 5, 2026. As the latest round of King Tides pushed and pulled ocean water along San Diego’s coastline starting New Year’s Day, an unexpected number of huge crowds of people rushed to do more than just watch the waves. “The impact (was unbelievable) of all the stampeding on the algae and coral at the lowest tide. The creatures themselves are dwindling in numbers. Due to all this, it will take time to regenerate,” Ekelem said. She shared several videos with NBC 7 that she shot with her cell phone last Friday. California state law prohibits taking any wildlife from the Pacific Ocean in protected areas. It is also illegal to injure, harass or destroy the habitat of protected sea creatures. The Marine Life Protection Act and other regulations are enforced by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Fines for some violations start at $5,000, and punishment can also include jail time. Although the King Tides ended on Saturday, many visitors returned to the La Jolla shore Monday to visit the tide pools. That included Ari Harijon, 8, and his mother. They’ve spent the last three days on short visits during the day. The second-grade student made it clear he only comes to look and not touch. They saw hermit crabs and even a lobster. “If we don’t take care of them, they could go extinct and never come back,” Ari said. Visitors at La Jolla Cove watched high tide and sea lions on the beach below on Jan. 5, 2026. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less