Dillon Beach Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Dillon Beach today starts with a high of 4.0 ft at 5:23 AM, falls to a low of 3.1 ft at 10:10 AM, climbs to a high of 5.1 ft at 3:32 PM, then falls to a low of −0.4 ft at 11:16 PM.
The falling tide is now 4.9 ft
Next high
14h 3m
5:28 AM
Next low
6h 51m
11:16 PM
Dillon Beach sits on Bodega Bay just north of the mouth of Tomales Bay. The tide decides when the clam flats off Lawson's Landing show and how hard the water runs through the bay entrance.
Also covers Lawson's Landing, Tomales Point.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:23 AM4.0 ft 4.0 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:10 AM3.1 ft 3.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide3:32 PM5.1 ft 5.1 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:16 PM−0.4 ft −0.4 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:28 AM4.2 ft 4.2 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:44 AM3.0 ft 3.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide3:47 PM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:24 PM−0.1 ft −0.1 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:23 AM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:11 PM2.5 ft 2.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:09 PM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:26 AM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:09 AM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:21 PM1.9 ft 1.9 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:31 PM4.2 ft 4.2 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:20 AM0.4 ft 0.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:48 AM4.9 ft 4.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:19 PM1.2 ft 1.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:45 PM4.1 ft 4.1 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:07 AM0.8 ft 0.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:23 AM5.1 ft 5.1 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:08 PM0.6 ft 0.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:51 PM4.1 ft 4.1 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:49 AM1.2 ft 1.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:56 AM5.3 ft 5.3 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:52 PM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:51 PM4.1 ft 4.1 ft
Today and Tomorrow at Dillon BeachThis Week at Dillon Beach
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 18 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
5.5 ft
Typical this month: 5.2 ft
Spring and neap cycle
Between springs and neaps
Next spring tide Nov 9, next neap Nov 3
How they work →Moon
Waning gibbous
60% lit, waning. New moon Nov 8
Sunrise and sunset
7:36 AM / 6:13 PM
10h 37m of daylight
Dillon Beach Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 5:23 AM4.0 ft
- ▼ Low 10:10 AM3.1 ft
- ▲ High 3:32 PM5.1 ft
- ▼ Low 11:16 PM−0.4 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▲ High 5:28 AM4.2 ft
- ▼ Low 10:44 AM3.0 ft
- ▲ High 3:47 PM4.7 ft
- ▼ Low 11:24 PM−0.1 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▲ High 6:23 AM4.4 ft
- ▼ Low 12:11 PM2.5 ft
- ▲ High 5:09 PM4.4 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▼ Low 12:26 AM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 7:09 AM4.6 ft
- ▼ Low 1:21 PM1.9 ft
- ▲ High 6:31 PM4.2 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 1:20 AM0.4 ft
- ▲ High 7:48 AM4.9 ft
- ▼ Low 2:19 PM1.2 ft
- ▲ High 7:45 PM4.1 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 2:07 AM0.8 ft
- ▲ High 8:23 AM5.1 ft
- ▼ Low 3:08 PM0.6 ft
- ▲ High 8:51 PM4.1 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 2:49 AM1.2 ft
- ▲ High 8:56 AM5.3 ft
- ▼ Low 3:52 PM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 9:51 PM4.1 ft
Minus Tides at Dillon Beach
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.
- Saturday, Nov 7, 4:31 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Nov 8, 5:08 PM−0.4 ft
- Sunday, Nov 22, 3:55 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Nov 23, 4:38 PM−1.0 ft
- Tuesday, Nov 24, 5:23 PM−1.4 ft
- Saturday, Dec 5, 3:40 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Dec 6, 4:19 PM−0.4 ft
- Monday, Dec 7, 4:55 PM−0.6 ft
Dillon Beach Tides at the Mouth of Tomales Bay
Dillon Beach tides follow the water moving in and out of Tomales Bay, which opens onto Bodega Bay right below the beach. Tides here are predicted from NOAA’s Tomales Bay entrance station, about a mile and a half away.
The entrance is the narrowest and busiest stretch of water on the bay. Point Reyes National Seashore says the change between high and low tide creates strong currents, especially at the mouth. The sandbar there has a long history of small-boat accidents, so check the tide and the boating safety notes from the park before you paddle or launch.
Clamming at Lawson’s Landing
Lawson’s Landing, run by the Lawson family on the south side of the Dillon Beach property, has a campground, a store and boat access to the bay. Visitors have long dug clams on the nearby clam bars of Tomales Bay. Those bars are only worth working on a low tide, and a minus tide (below mean lower low water) opens up the most ground.
The main targets are gaper clams, also called horseneck clams, and Washington clams. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife sets the limit at 10 of each species. You must keep the first 10 you dig, broken or small. Clamming is open year round, from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.
Plan to be on the flats as the water drops and off them before the tide turns.
The Estero de San Antonio, a protected marine area, lies about a mile and a half north of the beach.
Tides Near Dillon Beach
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Dillon Beach: Point Reyes 18 mi · Alamere Falls 23 mi · Petaluma River 27 mi · Bolinas 28 mi · Agate Beach 28 mi
Where the Dillon Beach Tide Station Is
38.2283, -122.9767
Tide times for Dillon Beach come from NOAA's Tomales Bay entrance tide station (9415469), about 1.6 miles away.
About Tides at Dillon Beach
How the tide works at Dillon Beach
Dillon Beach 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 5.2 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 7.6 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 2.6 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Dillon Beach predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Tomales Bay entrance tide station (9415469), about 1.6 miles away. It is a subordinate station: NOAA predicts its highs and lows by applying time and height offsets to the San Francisco (Golden Gate) reference station.
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.
Dillon Beach Tide Questions
When can you dig clams at Dillon Beach?
Dig on the lowest tides, when the sand and mud bars near the mouth of Tomales Bay are out of the water. California rules open gaper and Washington clams year round, from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. A minus tide in daylight gives you the most time on the flats.
What is the clam limit at Lawson's Landing?
The state limit for gaper (horseneck) clams and Washington clams is 10 of each species. You must keep the first 10 you dig, whatever their size or condition, so tossing back small or broken clams is not allowed. Diggers 16 and older also need a California sport fishing license.
Is the mouth of Tomales Bay dangerous for boats?
Yes. The sandbar at the mouth has a long record of small-boat accidents, and Point Reyes National Seashore warns that the swing between high and low tide makes strong currents there. Kayakers and small boats should time trips around the tide and the afternoon wind.
What time is high tide at Dillon Beach today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Dillon Beach 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 Dillon Beach?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Dillon Beach runs from about 2.6 ft on the quietest neap days to 7.6 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 5.2 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 Dillon Beach tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Tomales Bay entrance tide station (9415469), about 1.6 miles away. 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.