Inverness Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Inverness today starts with a high of 4.4 ft at 6:04 AM, falls to a low of 3.1 ft at 10:58 AM, then climbs to a high of 5.5 ft at 4:13 PM.
The falling tide is now 5.5 ft
Next high
14h 44m
6:09 AM
Next low
7h 39m
12:04 AM
Inverness is the small town on the west shore of Tomales Bay, next to the sheltered beaches of Tomales Bay State Park. The tide shapes swimming, paddling and launch times along this calm side of the bay.
Also covers Heart's Desire Beach, Chicken Ranch Beach, Shell Beach, Tomales Bay State Park.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:04 AM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:58 AM3.1 ft 3.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:13 PM5.5 ft 5.5 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:04 AM−0.4 ft −0.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:09 AM4.5 ft 4.5 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:32 AM3.0 ft 3.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:28 PM5.1 ft 5.1 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:12 AM−0.1 ft −0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:04 AM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:59 PM2.5 ft 2.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:50 PM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:14 AM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:50 AM5.0 ft 5.0 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:09 PM1.9 ft 1.9 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:12 PM4.5 ft 4.5 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:08 AM0.4 ft 0.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:29 AM5.3 ft 5.3 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:07 PM1.2 ft 1.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:26 PM4.5 ft 4.5 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:55 AM0.8 ft 0.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:04 AM5.6 ft 5.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:56 PM0.6 ft 0.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:32 PM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:37 AM1.2 ft 1.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:37 AM5.7 ft 5.7 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide4:40 PM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide10:32 PM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
Today and Tomorrow at InvernessThis Week at Inverness
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 10 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
5.9 ft
Typical this month: 5.6 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 38m of daylight
Inverness Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 6:04 AM4.4 ft
- ▼ Low 10:58 AM3.1 ft
- ▲ High 4:13 PM5.5 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▼ Low 12:04 AM−0.4 ft
- ▲ High 6:09 AM4.5 ft
- ▼ Low 11:32 AM3.0 ft
- ▲ High 4:28 PM5.1 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▼ Low 12:12 AM−0.1 ft
- ▲ High 7:04 AM4.7 ft
- ▼ Low 12:59 PM2.5 ft
- ▲ High 5:50 PM4.7 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▼ Low 1:14 AM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 7:50 AM5.0 ft
- ▼ Low 2:09 PM1.9 ft
- ▲ High 7:12 PM4.5 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 2:08 AM0.4 ft
- ▲ High 8:29 AM5.3 ft
- ▼ Low 3:07 PM1.2 ft
- ▲ High 8:26 PM4.5 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 2:55 AM0.8 ft
- ▲ High 9:04 AM5.6 ft
- ▼ Low 3:56 PM0.6 ft
- ▲ High 9:32 PM4.4 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 3:37 AM1.2 ft
- ▲ High 9:37 AM5.7 ft
- ▼ Low 4:40 PM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 10:32 PM4.4 ft
Minus Tides at Inverness
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, 5:19 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Nov 22, 4:43 PM−0.5 ft
- Saturday, Dec 5, 4:28 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Dec 6, 5:07 PM−0.4 ft
- Sunday, Dec 20, 3:39 PM−0.3 ft
- Monday, Dec 21, 4:26 PM−0.8 ft
- Tuesday, Dec 22, 5:13 PM−1.3 ft
Inverness Tides on the West Shore of Tomales Bay
Inverness tides arrive about 40 minutes after high water at the mouth of Tomales Bay, based on NOAA’s tide offsets. Tides here are predicted from NOAA’s Inverness, Tomales Bay station, about a mile away. Low tide runs nearly 50 minutes behind the mouth.
This is the sheltered side of the bay. Tomales Bay State Park calls its beaches gently sloping and surf free, protected from wind by Inverness Ridge. Heart’s Desire Beach is the main one. Indian and Pebble beaches are a short walk away by trail, and Shell Beach connects to Heart’s Desire by the Johnstone Trail. On busy weekends the park’s lots can fill as early as 11 a.m.
Paddling From Inverness
Tomales Bay is shallow, averaging about 18 feet, so the tide changes the shoreline more than you might expect. A low tide leaves more beach and shallow water in front of the launch spots. A high tide brings the water up close to the sand and makes carrying a boat in shorter.
The wind is the other half of the plan. Point Reyes National Seashore says northwest wind funnels down the bay between Inverness Ridge and Bolinas Ridge, and afternoons are usually windier than mornings. If you cross to the east shore in the morning, expect a harder paddle home.
The water is cold, as low as 50°F and rarely above 68°F. On dark nights the bay can glow when a paddle stirs up bioluminescent plankton. Out in the bay, Pelican Point, Duck Island and the east side of Hog Island stay closed to the public all year.
Tides Near Inverness
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Inverness: Alamere Falls 11 mi · Dillon Beach 12 mi · Bolinas 16 mi · Agate Beach 16 mi · Duxbury Reef 17 mi
Where the Inverness Tide Station Is
38.1133, -122.8683
Tide times for Inverness come from NOAA's Inverness, Tomales Bay tide station (9415228), about 1.0 miles away.
About Tides at Inverness
How the tide works at Inverness
Inverness 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 5.6 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 8.1 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 3.3 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Inverness predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Inverness, Tomales Bay tide station (9415228), about 1.0 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.
Inverness Tide Questions
Is Heart's Desire Beach good for swimming?
Yes, if you want calm water. Tomales Bay State Park describes its beaches as gently sloping and surf free, and Inverness Ridge blocks most of the wind. The water is cold, though. It can drop to 50°F and rarely gets above 68°F, even in late summer, so plan short swims.
Are dogs allowed on the beaches near Inverness?
Not in Tomales Bay State Park. Dogs are not allowed on any of its beaches or trails, including Heart's Desire, Indian, Pebble and Shell beaches. The one exception is the Vista Point picnic area, where dogs must stay on a leash.
When can you see bioluminescence on Tomales Bay?
Look on dark nights with little or no moon. The glow comes from tiny dinoflagellates that light up when a paddle or a wave disturbs them, according to Point Reyes National Seashore. Moonlight washes the glow out, so the nights around a new moon are the best time to look, ideally on calm water.
What time is high tide at Inverness today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Inverness 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 Inverness?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Inverness runs from about 3.3 ft on the quietest neap days to 8.1 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 5.6 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 Inverness tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Inverness, Tomales Bay tide station (9415228), about 1.0 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.