The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide: in other words, the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range.

Intertidal zones are coastal areas, the space between high and low tides. They often have rock, sand or mud that is under water at high tide, and above water at low tide.

The intertidal zone is the area where the ocean meets the land between high and low tides. A tide pool within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Intertidal zones exist anywhere the ocean meets the land, from steep, rocky ledges to long, sloping sandy beaches and mudflats that can extend for hundreds of meters.

An intertidal wetland is an area along a shoreline that is exposed to air at low tide and submerged at high tide. This type of wetland is defined by an intertidal zone and includes its own intertidal ecosystems.