Santa Cruz Tide Chart
Predicted water level and next low tide, Santa Cruz
Thursday, October 1, 11:40 PM
Highest on October 1, 5.7 ft at 1:39 PM
0.6 ft
Rising, high tide at 5:01 AM
Next low tide8:05 AM
October 2, 3.2 ft
Tides on Thursday, October 1
- 3:21 AMHigh tide3.5 ft
- 7:08 AMLow tide2.9 ft
- 1:39 PMHigh tide5.7 ft
- 9:28 PMLow tide−0.1 ft
Tide chart for Thursday, October 1
Santa Cruz tide table for 7 daysNightDaylight low good for tide poolsHeights in feet above mean lower low water
No tide pool window on Thursday, October 1. Next one: Thursday, October 8 at 3:38 PM, 1.0 ft.
Predictions from NOAA station Santa Cruz, near Santa Cruz. These are predictions, not live readings. How we use NOAA tide data
Tides in Santa Cruz, CA are predicted from Monterey, on the other side of the bay. NOAA’s Santa Cruz station is a subordinate station: NOAA takes each high and low tide at its Monterey station, moves it a few minutes earlier and scales the height down slightly. The Santa Cruz tides you see here are those adjusted NOAA predictions, not a copy of the Monterey table.
Plan from the next low tide shown in the water level box. Further down are the 7-day tide schedule, a calendar of daylight low tides for this month and next, the coming high tides, the days in the next 30 that are low enough for tide pools, and the highest high tides predicted for the winter. All tides for Santa Cruz, CA on this page come from that one station.
Santa Cruz tide schedule this week
From October 1 to October 7, the lowest tide in Santa Cruz is −0.2 ft on Monday, October 5, at 12:57 AM, after dark.
None of these days has a daylight low tide of 1.0 ft or lower; the lowest one is 1.5 ft on Wednesday, October 7, at 2:50 PM.
The biggest swing is on Thursday, October 1, 5.7 ft between high and low water; the highest tide is 5.7 ft on Thursday, October 1, at 1:39 PM.
Predicted tide from Thursday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 7. The water ranges from −0.2 ft on Monday, October 5, at 12:57 AM to 5.7 ft on Thursday, October 1, at 1:39 PM. No low tide reaches the tide pool range (1.0 ft or lower) in daylight.
Shaded parts are night. The orange band is the tide pool range; orange points are daylight tide pool lows. Curve drawn between NOAA high and low predictions (cosine interpolation).
| Date | Low tides | High tides | Sunrise | Sunset | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 7:08 AM, 2.9 ft9:28 PM, −0.1 ft | 3:21 AM, 3.5 ft1:39 PM, 5.7 ft | 7:04 AM | 6:51 PM | Waning gibbous, 70% lit |
| Fri 2 | 8:05 AM, 3.2 ft10:44 PM, −0.1 ft | 5:01 AM, 3.5 ft2:42 PM, 5.5 ft | 7:04 AM | 6:50 PM | Waning gibbous, 59% lit |
| Sat 3 | 9:41 AM, 3.4 ft11:56 PM, −0.2 ft | 6:30 AM, 3.6 ft4:00 PM, 5.3 ft | 7:05 AM | 6:48 PM | Last quarter at 6:25 AM |
| Sun 4 | 11:30 AM, 3.2 ft | 7:25 AM, 3.9 ft5:24 PM, 5.2 ft | 7:06 AM | 6:47 PM | Waning crescent, 36% lit |
| Mon 5 | 12:57 AM, −0.2 ft12:53 PM, 2.7 ft | 8:05 AM, 4.1 ft6:41 PM, 5.1 ft | 7:07 AM | 6:45 PM | Waning crescent, 26% lit |
| Tue 6 | 1:48 AM, −0.2 ft1:56 PM, 2.1 ft | 8:37 AM, 4.4 ft7:48 PM, 5.1 ft | 7:08 AM | 6:44 PM | Waning crescent, 17% lit |
| Wed 7 | 2:31 AM, 0.0 ft2:50 PM, 1.5 ft | 9:08 AM, 4.7 ft8:48 PM, 5.0 ft | 7:09 AM | 6:42 PM | Waning crescent, 9% lit |
Daylight low tide good for tide pools. Heights in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
Santa Cruz tide calendar for October and November
Each day shows its lowest low tide between sunrise and sunset, in feet. The deeper the blue, the lower that tide. Orange days have a tide pool window; the stronger orange ones are rated very good.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, October 1: lowest daylight tide 2.9 ft at 7:08 AM | Friday, October 2: lowest daylight tide 3.2 ft at 8:05 AM | Saturday, October 3: lowest daylight tide 3.4 ft at 9:41 AM | ||||
| Sunday, October 4: lowest daylight tide 3.2 ft at 11:30 AM | Monday, October 5: lowest daylight tide 2.7 ft at 12:53 PM | Tuesday, October 6: lowest daylight tide 2.1 ft at 1:56 PM | Wednesday, October 7: lowest daylight tide 1.5 ft at 2:50 PM | Thursday, October 8: lowest daylight tide 1.0 ft at 3:38 PM, good tide pool window | Friday, October 9: lowest daylight tide 0.5 ft at 4:23 PM, good tide pool window | Saturday, October 10: lowest daylight tide 0.2 ft at 5:07 PM, good tide pool window |
| Sunday, October 11: lowest daylight tide 0.1 ft at 5:49 PM, good tide pool window | Monday, October 12: lowest daylight tide 0.0 ft at 6:31 PM, very good tide pool window | Tuesday, October 13: no low tide in daylight | Wednesday, October 14: no low tide in daylight | Thursday, October 15: no low tide in daylight | Friday, October 16: lowest daylight tide 3.5 ft at 7:26 AM | Saturday, October 17: lowest daylight tide 3.6 ft at 8:52 AM |
| Sunday, October 18: lowest daylight tide 3.5 ft at 10:54 AM | Monday, October 19: lowest daylight tide 3.1 ft at 12:17 PM | Tuesday, October 20: lowest daylight tide 2.7 ft at 1:12 PM | Wednesday, October 21: lowest daylight tide 2.2 ft at 1:56 PM | Thursday, October 22: lowest daylight tide 1.6 ft at 2:37 PM | Friday, October 23: lowest daylight tide 1.0 ft at 3:17 PM, good tide pool window | Saturday, October 24: lowest daylight tide 0.4 ft at 3:58 PM, good tide pool window |
| Sunday, October 25: lowest daylight tide −0.2 ft at 4:41 PM, very good tide pool window | Monday, October 26: lowest daylight tide −0.6 ft at 5:26 PM, very good tide pool window | Tuesday, October 27: lowest daylight tide −0.8 ft at 6:15 PM, very good tide pool window | Wednesday, October 28: no low tide in daylight | Thursday, October 29: no low tide in daylight | Friday, October 30: no low tide in daylight | Saturday, October 31: lowest daylight tide 3.3 ft at 8:22 AM |
October has 10 tide pool days, 4 rated very good. The lowest daylight tide is −0.8 ft on Tuesday, October 27 at 6:15 PM.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, November 1: lowest daylight tide 3.2 ft at 9:05 AM | Monday, November 2: lowest daylight tide 2.8 ft at 10:43 AM | Tuesday, November 3: lowest daylight tide 2.1 ft at 12:00 PM | Wednesday, November 4: lowest daylight tide 1.5 ft at 1:00 PM | Thursday, November 5: lowest daylight tide 0.8 ft at 1:52 PM, good tide pool window | Friday, November 6: lowest daylight tide 0.3 ft at 2:37 PM, good tide pool window | Saturday, November 7: lowest daylight tide −0.1 ft at 3:19 PM, very good tide pool window |
| Sunday, November 8: lowest daylight tide −0.3 ft at 3:58 PM, very good tide pool window | Monday, November 9: lowest daylight tide −0.4 ft at 4:36 PM, very good tide pool window | Tuesday, November 10: no low tide in daylight | Wednesday, November 11: no low tide in daylight | Thursday, November 12: no low tide in daylight | Friday, November 13: no low tide in daylight | Saturday, November 14: no low tide in daylight |
| Sunday, November 15: lowest daylight tide 3.5 ft at 7:30 AM | Monday, November 16: lowest daylight tide 3.4 ft at 9:12 AM | Tuesday, November 17: lowest daylight tide 3.0 ft at 10:42 AM | Wednesday, November 18: lowest daylight tide 2.4 ft at 11:46 AM | Thursday, November 19: lowest daylight tide 1.8 ft at 12:35 PM | Friday, November 20: lowest daylight tide 1.0 ft at 1:19 PM, good tide pool window | Saturday, November 21: lowest daylight tide 0.3 ft at 2:02 PM, good tide pool window |
| Sunday, November 22: lowest daylight tide −0.4 ft at 2:45 PM, very good tide pool window | Monday, November 23: lowest daylight tide −0.9 ft at 3:30 PM, very good tide pool window | Tuesday, November 24: lowest daylight tide −1.3 ft at 4:17 PM, very good tide pool window | Wednesday, November 25: no low tide in daylight | Thursday, November 26: no low tide in daylight | Friday, November 27: no low tide in daylight | Saturday, November 28: no low tide in daylight |
| Sunday, November 29: lowest daylight tide 3.0 ft at 7:30 AM | Monday, November 30: lowest daylight tide 2.8 ft at 9:04 AM |
November has 10 tide pool days, 6 rated very good. The lowest daylight tide is −1.3 ft on Tuesday, November 24 at 4:17 PM.
High tide in Santa Cruz
- Next high tide in Santa Cruz
- Next: Friday, October 2 at 5:01 AM, 3.5 ft
- Next low tide in Santa Cruz
- Next: Friday, October 2 at 8:05 AM, 3.2 ft
In the next 30 days (October 1 to October 30), the highest tide in Santa Cruz is 6.2 ft on Wednesday, October 28, at 11:37 AM. All five of the highest fall in daylight.
| Date | High tide | Height | Light |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 2 | 5:01 AM | 3.5 ft | After dark |
| Friday, October 2 | 2:42 PM | 5.5 ft | Daylight |
| Saturday, October 3 | 6:30 AM | 3.6 ft | After dark |
| Saturday, October 3 | 4:00 PM | 5.3 ft | Daylight |
| Sunday, October 4 | 7:25 AM | 3.9 ft | Daylight |
| Sunday, October 4 | 5:24 PM | 5.2 ft | Daylight |
| Monday, October 5 | 8:05 AM | 4.1 ft | Daylight |
| Monday, October 5 | 6:41 PM | 5.1 ft | Daylight |
| Tuesday, October 6 | 8:37 AM | 4.4 ft | Daylight |
| Tuesday, October 6 | 7:48 PM | 5.1 ft | After dark |
| Date | High tide | Height | Light |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, October 28 | 11:37 AM | 6.2 ft | Daylight |
| Tuesday, October 27 | 10:57 AM | 6.2 ft | Daylight |
| Thursday, October 29 | 12:24 PM | 6.1 ft | Daylight |
| Monday, October 26 | 10:22 AM | 6.0 ft | Daylight |
| Friday, October 30 | 1:19 PM | 5.8 ft | Daylight |
Highest high tide of each day, top five. Heights in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
Santa Cruz tide pools: best low tides in the next 30 days
A tide pool window is a low tide between sunrise and sunset at 1.0 ft or lower; at 0.0 ft or lower we rate it very good.
In the next 30 days (October 1 to October 30), Santa Cruz has 10 tide pool windows, 4 of them very good. The lowest is −0.8 ft on Tuesday, October 27 at 6:15 PM.
| Date | Low tide | Height | Rating | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, October 8 | 3:38 PM(tide pool window) | 1.0 ft | Good | 6:41 PM |
| Friday, October 9 | 4:23 PM(tide pool window) | 0.5 ft | Good | 6:39 PM |
| Saturday, October 10 | 5:07 PM(tide pool window) | 0.2 ft | Good | 6:38 PM |
| Sunday, October 11 | 5:49 PM(tide pool window) | 0.1 ft | Good | 6:37 PM |
| Monday, October 12 | 6:31 PM(tide pool window) | 0.0 ft | Very good, close to sunset | 6:35 PM |
| Friday, October 23 | 3:17 PM(tide pool window) | 1.0 ft | Good | 6:21 PM |
| Saturday, October 24 | 3:58 PM(tide pool window) | 0.4 ft | Good | 6:20 PM |
| Sunday, October 25 | 4:41 PM(tide pool window) | −0.2 ft | Very good | 6:18 PM |
| Monday, October 26 | 5:26 PM(tide pool window) | −0.6 ft | Very good | 6:17 PM |
| Tuesday, October 27 | 6:15 PM(tide pool window) | −0.8 ft | Very good, close to sunset | 6:16 PM |
Heights in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
Lowest daylight tide for each day in the next 30 days, October 1 to October 30. The lowest is −0.8 ft on October 27. 10 days reach 1.0 ft or lower: October 8 (1.0 ft), October 9 (0.5 ft), October 10 (0.2 ft), October 11 (0.1 ft), October 12 (0.0 ft), October 23 (1.0 ft), October 24 (0.4 ft), October 25 (−0.2 ft), October 26 (−0.6 ft) and October 27 (−0.8 ft). 6 days have no low tide in daylight.
Orange bars are tide pool windows (0.0 ft or lower is very good). Small dots mark days with no low tide in daylight.
Natural Bridges State Beach
Natural Bridges State Beach is on West Cliff Drive, just west of downtown Santa Cruz. When the tide drops, pools open up in its rocks, and sea stars, shore crabs and sea anemones are the animals you are most likely to find. California State Parks docents lead tide pool walks there at low tide all year.
The state beach marks the southern end of Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve, a narrow strip of water reaching about 200 feet out from shore that runs about 4 miles south from Four Mile Beach. Nothing of any kind may be taken in the reserve, so look at the animals and leave them in their pools.
How the Santa Cruz predictions are made
Because NOAA publishes only the high and low tides for Santa Cruz, those times and heights in the tables are NOAA’s own. The curves drawn between them, and the water level shown at the top of the page, are our estimate: a smooth curve from each high to the next low. The times of the highs and lows are the numbers to plan by.
If you have a Monterey tide table in hand, expect Santa Cruz to run slightly ahead of it, with a slightly smaller range. The Monterey tide chart shows the station these predictions are based on.
King tides in Santa Cruz 2026–27
The highest predicted high tide in Santa Cruz in the predictions so far is 6.7 ft on Wednesday, November 25, at 9:33 AM. These are the highest predicted high tides from NOAA, not official king tide dates.
| Date | High tide | Height | Light |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 7 | 8:22 AM | 5.7 ft | Daylight |
| Sunday, November 8 | 8:50 AM | 5.7 ft | Daylight |
| Monday, November 9 | 9:18 AM | 5.7 ft | Daylight |
| Sunday, November 22 | 7:36 AM | 5.9 ft | Daylight |
| Monday, November 23 | 8:11 AM | 6.3 ft | Daylight |
| Tuesday, November 24 | 8:50 AM | 6.6 ft | Daylight |
| Wednesday, November 25 | 9:33 AM | 6.7 ft | Daylight |
| Thursday, November 26 | 10:20 AM | 6.6 ft | Daylight |
| Friday, November 27 | 11:11 AM | 6.3 ft | Daylight |
| Saturday, November 28 | 12:08 PM | 5.8 ft | Daylight |
Highest predicted high tides from NOAA, not official king tide dates. Heights in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
Common questions about Santa Cruz tides
When is low tide in Santa Cruz?
As of Thursday, October 1, the next low tide in Santa Cruz is Friday, October 2 at 8:05 AM, 3.2 ft. The one after that is Friday, October 2 at 10:44 PM, −0.1 ft. Santa Cruz has two low tides on 6 of the next 7 days and one on the others.
When is high tide in Santa Cruz?
As of Thursday, October 1, the next high tide in Santa Cruz is Friday, October 2 at 5:01 AM, 3.5 ft. The one after that is Friday, October 2 at 2:42 PM, 5.5 ft. Santa Cruz has two high tides on each of the next 7 days.
What time is low tide in Santa Cruz today?
On Thursday, October 1, low tide in Santa Cruz is at 7:08 AM (2.9 ft) and 9:28 PM (−0.1 ft). The lower one is at 9:28 PM.
When is low tide in Santa Cruz tomorrow?
On Friday, October 2, low tide in Santa Cruz is at 8:05 AM (3.2 ft) and 10:44 PM (−0.1 ft). The lower one is at 10:44 PM.
Where are the best tide pools in Santa Cruz?
The tide pools at Natural Bridges State Beach, on West Cliff Drive just west of downtown, are the place to start. They show at low tide, State Parks docents lead walks there at low tide year-round, and the shore is part of a no-take marine reserve. Pick a daylight low tide from the tide pool table on this page.
When are king tides in Santa Cruz?
The highest predicted high tide in Santa Cruz in the predictions so far is 6.7 ft on Wednesday, November 25, at 9:33 AM. These are the highest predicted high tides from NOAA, not official king tide dates.