Bolinas Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Bolinas today starts with a high of 2.9 ft at 5:35 AM, falls to a low of 2.1 ft at 9:57 AM, then climbs to a high of 4.3 ft at 3:44 PM.
The falling tide is now 4.2 ft
Next high
14h 10m
5:35 AM
Next low
7h 47m
12:12 AM
Bolinas sits at the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon, a 1,100-acre tidal estuary behind the Stinson Beach sandspit. The tide here decides whether the lagoon is open water or mudflats, and when the harbor seals haul out.
Also covers Bolinas Lagoon, the Bolinas channel.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:35 AM2.9 ft 2.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide9:57 AM2.1 ft 2.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide3:44 PM4.3 ft 4.3 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:12 AM0.0 ft 0.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:35 AM3.2 ft 3.2 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:29 AM2.1 ft 2.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:06 PM4.0 ft 4.0 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:07 AM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:29 AM3.5 ft 3.5 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:00 PM1.9 ft 1.9 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:32 PM3.7 ft 3.7 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:56 AM0.2 ft 0.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:17 AM3.8 ft 3.8 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:19 PM1.6 ft 1.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:48 PM3.5 ft 3.5 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:41 AM0.4 ft 0.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:01 AM4.1 ft 4.1 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:28 PM1.2 ft 1.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:55 PM3.3 ft 3.3 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:21 AM0.6 ft 0.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:40 AM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:28 PM0.8 ft 0.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:54 PM3.2 ft 3.2 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:56 AM0.9 ft 0.9 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:15 AM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide4:22 PM0.5 ft 0.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:49 PM3.0 ft 3.0 ft
Today and Tomorrow at BolinasThis Week at Bolinas
Feet above MLLW · Pacific time · shaded = night
Tap the chart for the height at any time. The full week is in the table below.Hover or tap the chart for the height at any time.
Predicted vs Actual Water Level
NOAA Point Reyes gauge · last 2448 hours
Tide predictions cover only the pull of the moon and sun. NOAA's Point Reyes gauge, about 17 miles away, measures the real water level every 6 minutes, so the gap between the two lines is the weather: storm surge, wind, air pressure and runoff. The same gap usually holds across the Marin coast and Tomales Bay.
Loading live readings from NOAA…
Predicted Measured
Today at a Glance
Tidal range today
4.3 ft
Typical this month: 4.2 ft
Spring and neap cycle
Between springs and neaps
Next spring tide Nov 9, next neap Nov 2
How they work →Moon
Waning gibbous
60% lit, waning. New moon Nov 8
Sunrise and sunset
7:35 AM / 6:13 PM
10h 38m of daylight
Bolinas Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 5:35 AM2.9 ft
- ▼ Low 9:57 AM2.1 ft
- ▲ High 3:44 PM4.3 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▼ Low 12:12 AM0.0 ft
- ▲ High 5:35 AM3.2 ft
- ▼ Low 10:29 AM2.1 ft
- ▲ High 4:06 PM4.0 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▼ Low 12:07 AM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 6:29 AM3.5 ft
- ▼ Low 12:00 PM1.9 ft
- ▲ High 5:32 PM3.7 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▼ Low 12:56 AM0.2 ft
- ▲ High 7:17 AM3.8 ft
- ▼ Low 1:19 PM1.6 ft
- ▲ High 6:48 PM3.5 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 1:41 AM0.4 ft
- ▲ High 8:01 AM4.1 ft
- ▼ Low 2:28 PM1.2 ft
- ▲ High 7:55 PM3.3 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 2:21 AM0.6 ft
- ▲ High 8:40 AM4.4 ft
- ▼ Low 3:28 PM0.8 ft
- ▲ High 8:54 PM3.2 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 2:56 AM0.9 ft
- ▲ High 9:15 AM4.6 ft
- ▼ Low 4:22 PM0.5 ft
- ▲ High 9:49 PM3.0 ft
Minus Tides at Bolinas
Daylight low tides below zero in the next 60 days, the best times for tidepooling and walking the low beach. More on what a minus tide is.
- Sunday, Dec 6, 5:04 PM−0.1 ft
- Monday, Dec 21, 4:48 PM−0.1 ft
Bolinas Tide Chart: How the Lagoon Changes Through the Day
A Bolinas tide chart matters most for the lagoon. Bolinas Lagoon is a 1,100-acre tidal estuary, cut off from Bolinas Bay by the long sandspit that holds Stinson Beach and Seadrift. Ocean water pushes in through the narrow mouth by the town on every rising tide and drains back out on the falling one.
Most of the lagoon is shallow. Marin County Parks says it is only a few feet deep at high tide. When the tide drops, the water pulls back into channels and the mudflats open up. The lagoon’s ducks, herons and egrets feed on those flats, and the seals come out of the water to rest.
Harbor Seals at Low Tide
Harbor seals need to haul out on land almost every day to rest. In Bolinas Lagoon they use Kent Island, Pickleweed Island and the tidal sandbars, and they do it most at low tide. From April through June, 150 or more seals and their pups can often be seen from Highway 1.
Keep at least 300 feet away and don’t disturb them. A pup alone on a sandbar usually doesn’t need rescuing. Mothers often leave their pups for short periods.
Tides here come from NOAA’s Bolinas Lagoon station, about half a mile from town, inside the lagoon itself. Ocean-side spots like Duxbury Reef run on the open-coast tide, so check them separately.
Tides Near Bolinas
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Bolinas: Alamere Falls 5.9 mi · Muir Beach 6.9 mi · Rodeo Beach 9.7 mi · Corte Madera Creek 9.7 mi · Richardson Bay 10 mi
Where the Bolinas Tide Station Is
37.9080, -122.6785
Tide times for Bolinas come from NOAA's Bolinas Lagoon tide station (9414958), right at Bolinas.
About Tides at Bolinas
How the tide works at Bolinas
Bolinas gets mixed semidiurnal tides, the usual pattern on the California coast: two highs and two lows most days, with one high noticeably higher than the other and one low noticeably lower. The lower low is the one that uncovers the most shore.
A typical day here swings about 4.2 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 5.8 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 2.6 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Bolinas predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Bolinas Lagoon tide station (9414958), right at Bolinas. It is a reference station, with predictions calculated from harmonic constituents measured at that spot.
The curve between each high and low is drawn with the standard cosine method, so heights between the turns are close estimates. Weather can move the real water level: strong onshore wind and low air pressure raise it, and offshore wind and high pressure lower it. Read more on how tide predictions work.
Reading the tide clock, table and chart
The tide clock's hand sweeps from high tide at the top to low tide at the bottom and back, one full turn per tidal cycle of about 12 hours and 25 minutes. The countdowns on either side show the time to the next high and the next low.
The day picker and the 7-day table list each turn of the tide with its time and height. On the chart, each crest is a high and each trough a low; shaded bands are night. Heights are feet above mean lower low water, so a negative number is a minus tide. Our guide on how to read a tide chart goes further.
Bolinas Tide Questions
When is the best time to see seals in Bolinas Lagoon?
Go at low tide. Harbor seals haul out on the sandbars and on Kent and Pickleweed islands when the water drops, and Marin County Parks says low tide is the best time to watch them. April through June are the best months, when 150 or more seals and their pups can often be seen. Stay at least 300 feet away.
How deep is Bolinas Lagoon at high tide?
Not very. Marin County Parks describes most of the lagoon as only a few feet deep even at high tide. At low tide large parts drain to mudflats laced with channels, so the same spot can be open water in the morning and mud by afternoon.
Where are the tide pools near Bolinas?
The tidepools are at Duxbury Reef, reached from Agate Beach at the end of Elm Road on the Bolinas mesa. It is one of the largest shale reefs in North America. You need a minus tide of about -0.5 to -1.5 feet to see much, and the reef is a marine protected area, so nothing can be taken.
What time is high tide at Bolinas today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Bolinas with their times and heights, and the tide clock counts down to the next high and the next low. Times are Pacific time and heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
How big is the tide at Bolinas?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Bolinas runs from about 2.6 ft on the quietest neap days to 5.8 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 4.2 ft on a typical day. Like the rest of the California coast, most days bring two highs and two lows of unequal size.
Where do the Bolinas tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Bolinas Lagoon tide station (9414958), right at Bolinas. Wind, storms, river runoff and air pressure can push the real water level higher or lower than predicted, so treat them as a planning guide, not a guarantee, and never use them for navigation.