The inter-tidal zone refers to an area that is under water during a high tide and exposed to the air at low tides. Organisms living in the inter-tidal zone must be adapted to living in an extreme environment. They must be able to survive for sometime without water and in water that can be high or low in salinity. The nearshore zone is always under water and is the area where waves can break in their approach to the shore. Organisms here are adapted to living completely submerged in water.
