California Tide Charts
Tide charts and tide tables for 12 California beaches from San Francisco to San Diego, from NOAA predictions updated every week.
Each beach has its own page with the next low tide, a weekly tide table and a monthly calendar. This page puts them side by side: the next low tide at every beach, the best tide pool day at each one in the coming 30 days, and the highest high tides predicted so far for the 2026–27 king tide season.
Predictions updated Thursday, October 1 at 11:40 PM. Times are Pacific time; heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), measured at each beach's own NOAA station.
California tide charts by beach
The next low tide at each beach after 11:40 PM on Thursday, October 1, north to south. The lowest of them is 2.9 ft at Laguna Beach, and the highest is 3.4 ft at San Francisco. Each beach's page adds the week ahead and the current water level.
- San Francisco tide chart
Next low tide 3.4 ft, Friday, October 2 at 9:41 AM
NOAA station Golden Gate, near San Francisco
- Half Moon Bay tide chart
Next low tide 3.2 ft, Friday, October 2 at 8:23 AM
NOAA station Pillar Point Harbor, near Half Moon Bay
- Santa Cruz tide chart
Next low tide 3.2 ft, Friday, October 2 at 8:05 AM
NOAA station Santa Cruz, near Santa Cruz
- Monterey tide chart
Next low tide 3.3 ft, Friday, October 2 at 8:16 AM
NOAA station Monterey, near Monterey
- Pismo Beach tide chart
Next low tide 3.3 ft, Friday, October 2 at 7:36 AM
NOAA station Port San Luis, 11 km west of Pismo Beach
- Santa Barbara tide chart
Next low tide 3.1 ft, Friday, October 2 at 6:51 AM
NOAA station Santa Barbara, near Santa Barbara
- Malibu tide chart
Next low tide 3.0 ft, Friday, October 2 at 6:16 AM
NOAA station Santa Monica Pier, 26 km east of Malibu
- Huntington Beach tide chart
Next low tide 3.0 ft, Friday, October 2 at 6:11 AM
NOAA station Balboa Pier, 11 km southeast of Huntington Beach
- Newport Beach tide chart
Next low tide 3.0 ft, Friday, October 2 at 6:00 AM
NOAA station Newport Bay Entrance, near Newport Beach
- Laguna Beach tide chart
Next low tide 2.9 ft, Friday, October 2 at 5:44 AM
NOAA station San Clemente, 20 km southeast of Laguna Beach
- La Jolla tide chart
Next low tide 3.0 ft, Friday, October 2 at 5:57 AM
NOAA station Scripps Pier, near La Jolla
- San Diego tide chart
Next low tide 3.1 ft, Friday, October 2 at 5:55 AM
NOAA station San Diego Bay (Broadway), near San Diego
Simplified outline of the coast with each beach.
California tide pools: best low tides in the next 30 days
We count a low tide as a tide pool window when it comes between sunrise and sunset and drops to 1.0 ft or lower; at 0.0 ft or lower it is rated very good. The tables below show the best window at each beach in the next 30 days (October 1 to October 30).
The best day is Tuesday, October 27 at 8 of the 10 beaches, two days after the full moon of October 25. At the others it is the day before or after. The lowest tides of a month come with a new or full moon, for the reason explained in the king tides section.
Northern and Central California
The lowest daylight tide here is −0.9 ft at Half Moon Bay on Monday, October 26 at 5:42 PM. Santa Cruz has the most tide pool windows, 10 in the 30 days.
| Beach | Best day | Low tide | Rating | Windows in 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Moon Bay tide pools | Monday, October 265:42 PM(tide pool window) | −0.9 ft | Very good | 8 (4 very good) |
| Santa Cruz tide pools | Tuesday, October 276:15 PM(tide pool window) | −0.8 ft | Very good, close to sunset | 10 (4 very good) |
| Monterey tide pools | Monday, October 265:37 PM(tide pool window) | −0.6 ft | Very good | 8 (2 very good) |
| Pismo Beach tide pools | Tuesday, October 275:59 PM(tide pool window) | −0.7 ft | Very good, close to sunset | 10 (3 very good) |
Best day is the lowest tide pool window at that beach. Heights in feet above MLLW.
San Francisco is not rated: the station there is not on a tide pool shore. For tide pools near the city, see the Half Moon Bay tide pools.
Southern California
For the best tide pools in Southern California, the table gives each beach's lowest daylight tide of the 30 days. The lowest daylight tide here is −0.9 ft at Malibu on Tuesday, October 27 at 5:08 PM.
| Beach | Best day | Low tide | Rating | Windows in 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara tide pools | Tuesday, October 275:30 PM(tide pool window) | −0.8 ft | Very good | 11 (3 very good) |
| Malibu tide pools | Tuesday, October 275:08 PM(tide pool window) | −0.9 ft | Very good | 12 (6 very good) |
| Newport Beach tide pools | Tuesday, October 274:59 PM(tide pool window) | −0.8 ft | Very good | 12 (7 very good) |
| Laguna Beach tide pools | Tuesday, October 274:49 PM(tide pool window) | −0.7 ft | Very good | 12 (6 very good) |
| La Jolla tide pools | Tuesday, October 274:57 PM(tide pool window) | −0.8 ft | Very good | 12 (7 very good) |
| San Diego tide pools | Tuesday, October 274:58 PM(tide pool window) | −0.7 ft | Very good | 12 (6 very good) |
Best day is the lowest tide pool window at that beach. Heights in feet above MLLW.
The San Diego windows are for Point Loma, where the Cabrillo tide pool area keeps set hours. The best window falls outside them; the lowest one while the area is open is −0.6 ft on Monday, October 26 at 4:11 PM. Predictions from NOAA station Point Loma, 8 km southwest of San Diego. Hours and the full list are in the San Diego tide pools section.
King tides in California
"King tide" is an everyday name for the highest high tides of the year; NOAA notes that it is not a technical term. On this site it means the highest predicted high tides at a beach from November to February.
Tides are driven by the pull of the moon and the sun on the ocean. Twice a month, at new and full moon, the sun, moon and Earth line up and the two pulls add up. NOAA calls these spring tides: the gap between high and low water widens, with highs above their average and lows below it. The effect grows when a new or full moon falls close to perigee, the point in the moon's monthly orbit where it is nearest to Earth, and in early January, when Earth passes closest to the sun. That January pass is one reason the year's highest tides come in winter.
The California Coastal Commission announces the official king tide dates each fall on its California King Tides Project page. The project asks the public to photograph the shoreline during king tides, to help people see what future sea levels could look like. The heights below are NOAA predictions, not official dates.
The table lists each beach's highest predicted high tide of the 2026–27 season so far. NOAA predictions on this site currently run through November 30, so it covers November 1 to November 30; it moves forward with every weekly update through February. The highest of them is 7.4 ft at San Diego on Wednesday, November 25 at 8:34 AM; the lowest of these peaks is 6.7 ft at Santa Cruz. Every beach peaks on Wednesday, November 25, one day after the full moon of November 24. All of these high tides come in daylight.
| Beach | Date | High tide | Height | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco king tides | Wednesday, November 25 | 10:49 AM | 7.0 ft | Daylight |
| Half Moon Bay tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 9:50 AM | 7.0 ft | Daylight |
| Santa Cruz king tides | Wednesday, November 25 | 9:33 AM | 6.7 ft | Daylight |
| Monterey tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 9:39 AM | 6.9 ft | Daylight |
| Pismo Beach tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 9:14 AM | 6.9 ft | Daylight |
| Santa Barbara tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:54 AM | 7.1 ft | Daylight |
| Malibu tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:37 AM | 7.1 ft | Daylight |
| Huntington Beach tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:25 AM | 6.9 ft | Daylight |
| Newport Beach tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:32 AM | 7.0 ft | Daylight |
| Laguna Beach tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:19 AM | 6.9 ft | Daylight |
| La Jolla tide chart | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:29 AM | 7.0 ft | Daylight |
| San Diego king tides | Wednesday, November 25 | 8:34 AM | 7.4 ft | Daylight |
Highest predicted high tides from NOAA, not official king tide dates. Heights in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW) at each beach's main station.
More ways to plan around the tide
- Grunion run schedule
Expected grunion run dates on California beaches, from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife schedule.
- Solunar calendar
Major and minor solunar periods for fishing, worked out for each of our beaches.
- How to read a tide chart
What high and low tides, negative tides and MLLW mean on the charts on this site.
- Best tide for fishing
High or low, incoming or outgoing: how the tide changes fishing from the beach and the pier.
Questions about king tides and tide pools in California
What are king tides in California?
King tides are the highest high tides of the year. NOAA points out that the name is in everyday use but has no scientific meaning. In California, the California Coastal Commission runs the California King Tides Project, which invites the public to photograph the shoreline during king tides so people can picture future sea levels.
On this site, a beach's king tide numbers are its highest predicted high tides from November to February. They come from NOAA predictions and are not official king tide dates.
When are king tides in California?
In winter. Our pages watch November to February. The California Coastal Commission announces the official dates each fall. Two things push the winter tides higher: Earth passes closest to the sun around January 2, which NOAA says enlarges tidal ranges, and within each month the highest tides come with a new or full moon.
When is the next king tide in California?
The California Coastal Commission announces the official king tide dates each fall on its California King Tides Project page.
In NOAA's predictions for November 1 to November 30, the highest high tide at our beaches is 7.4 ft at San Diego on Wednesday, November 25 at 8:34 AM. All 12 beaches reach their highest predicted tide so far on Wednesday, November 25, one day after the full moon of November 24. These are NOAA's highest predicted high tides, not official dates.
What causes king tides in California?
The moon and the sun. Their pull moves the ocean back and forth as tides, and the pull is strongest when they line up with Earth at new and full moon, which gives spring tides. Tides rise further when a new or full moon comes close to perigee, the moon's nearest point to Earth, and in early January, when Earth is nearest the sun. The heights on this site are those astronomical predictions; they do not include weather.
What is a king tide in California?
A high tide well above the ordinary high tides, at the top of the year's range. This season's highest predicted tides at our beaches so far range from 6.7 ft to 7.4 ft above mean lower low water, each measured at the beach's own NOAA station. The table in the king tides section lists each beach's peak.
Where are the best tide pools in California?
This site does not rank reefs; it rates days. A good tide pool day needs a low tide in daylight that drops far enough to uncover the rocks. In the next 30 days (October 1 to October 30), the lowest daylight tides at our beaches are at Half Moon Bay (−0.9 ft on October 26), Malibu (−0.9 ft on October 27) and Newport Beach (−0.8 ft on October 27).
These pages rate every tide pool day for the coming 30 days: Half Moon Bay tide pools, Santa Cruz tide pools, Monterey tide pools, Pismo Beach tide pools, Santa Barbara tide pools, Malibu tide pools, Newport Beach tide pools, Laguna Beach tide pools, La Jolla tide pools and San Diego tide pools.