Spring and Neap Tides: What They Are and Why They Change
Spring and neap tides are the two ends of the monthly tide cycle. Spring tides have the biggest range, with the highest highs and lowest lows, and come near the new and full moon. Neap tides have the smallest range and come near the quarter moons, about a week later.
The cycle repeats twice a month, all year. On the Marin coast it is the difference between a reef that is fully uncovered at low tide and one that barely shows.
What Is a Spring Tide?
A spring tide is the tide with the largest range of the month, which comes when the sun, Earth and moon are nearly lined up at the new moon and full moon. Their pulls add together, so high tides run higher and low tides run lower.
NOAA says the name has nothing to do with the season of spring. It comes from the tide “springing forth.” Spring tides happen twice each lunar month, every month of the year.
Next Spring and Neap Tides in Marin
Predicted for Sausalito; the coast and Tomales Bay follow the same cycle within a day.
- Neap tides around Tuesday, November 3, 20265.0 ft range
- Spring tides around Monday, November 9, 20266.5 ft range
- Neap tides around Wednesday, November 18, 20263.0 ft range
- Spring tides around Wednesday, November 25, 20268.5 ft range
What Is a Neap Tide?
A neap tide is the tide with the smallest range of the month, which comes when the sun and moon pull at right angles to each other at the first and third quarter moon. The sun’s pull partly cancels the moon’s, so highs are lower and lows are higher.
Neap tides come about seven days after each spring tide. Like spring tides, they happen twice a month. NOAA covers both in its spring and neap tides explainer.
Moon Phases and the Tide Cycle
| Moon phase | Tide | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| New moon | Spring tide | Big range, high highs, deep lows |
| First quarter | Neap tide | Small range, mild highs and lows |
| Full moon | Spring tide | Big range again |
| Third quarter | Neap tide | Small range again |
The biggest tides do not always land on the exact day of the new or full moon. When planning around a spring tide, look at the few days on either side of it as well.
Why the Tide Range Changes
The moon does most of the work. Its pull raises the ocean into a bulge on the side of Earth facing it, with a second bulge on the far side. The sun does the same thing, but its effect is a little less than half as strong, because it is so much farther away.
At new and full moon the two sets of bulges line up and stack. At the quarter moons they sit at right angles, so the sun’s bulge fills in some of the moon’s low spots.
On the Marin coast the change is easy to see. NOAA’s 2026 predictions for Point Reyes show a daily range of about 4 feet on quiet neap days and more than 8 feet on the biggest spring tides.
Perigean Spring Tides and King Tides
The moon’s orbit is an oval, and once a month it passes closest to Earth, a point called perigee. When a new or full moon falls near perigee, the spring tide gets an extra push. NOAA calls this a perigean spring tide and says it happens about six to eight times a year, with highs that can run more than a foot above other spring tides.
The biggest perigean spring tides of the year are what people call king tides. In California they land in winter, mostly November through January, and they are when low roads near Mill Valley, Sausalito and San Rafael flood on calm, sunny days.
What Spring and Neap Tides Mean at Marin Beaches
For tidepools, spring tides are what you want. The deep low tides that uncover Duxbury Reef and the pools south of Limantour Beach come at spring tides, and the deepest of them are minus tides. During neap tides the lows stay well above zero, and most of the reef stays covered.
For beach walks, spring tides cut both ways. The low tide gives you the widest beach of the month, but the high tide that follows rises farther and faster. Beaches where the rising tide can cut off the way back, like Sculptured Beach and McClures Beach at Point Reyes, need the most care on spring tide days.
For paddling, neap tides are kinder. Less water moves in and out, so currents at the mouth of Tomales Bay are weaker. Spring tides bring the strongest currents and the most exposed mudflats in the south end of Tomales Bay.
Spring and Neap Tides Questions
What is the difference between a spring tide and a neap tide?
A spring tide has the biggest range of the month, with higher highs and lower lows, and comes near the new and full moon. A neap tide has the smallest range, with lower highs and higher lows, and comes near the first and third quarter moon. Each happens twice a month.
Do spring tides happen in spring?
No. NOAA says the name has nothing to do with the season. It comes from the idea of the tide springing forth. Spring tides happen twice every lunar month, all year long, around each new moon and full moon.
Is a king tide a spring tide?
Yes. A king tide is an extra-large spring tide that happens when a new or full moon falls near perigee, the moon's closest point to Earth. NOAA calls these perigean spring tides. In California the biggest ones come in winter, from November through January.
Are neap tides good for anything?
Neap tides bring gentler currents, since less water moves in and out with each tide. That can make paddling a bay or an estuary easier. They are poor for tidepooling, though, because the low tides stay well above zero and leave most of the reef covered.