Petaluma River Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Petaluma River today starts with a high of 4.9 ft at 6:58 AM, falls to a low of 3.0 ft at 11:58 AM, then climbs to a high of 6.2 ft at 5:07 PM.
The rising tide is now 6.0 ft
Next high
42m
5:07 PM
Next low
8h 39m
1:04 AM
The Petaluma River is a tidal slough that winds through Petaluma Marsh to San Pablo Bay east of Novato. The tide sets the current at Black Point, the depth for boats heading upriver, and flooding along Highway 37.
Also covers Novato, Black Point, Bel Marin Keys.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:58 AM4.9 ft 4.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:58 AM3.0 ft 3.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:07 PM6.2 ft 6.2 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:04 AM−0.4 ft −0.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:03 AM5.1 ft 5.1 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:32 PM2.8 ft 2.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:22 PM5.7 ft 5.7 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:12 AM−0.1 ft −0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:58 AM5.3 ft 5.3 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:59 PM2.4 ft 2.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:44 PM5.3 ft 5.3 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:14 AM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:44 AM5.7 ft 5.7 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:09 PM1.8 ft 1.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:06 PM5.1 ft 5.1 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:08 AM0.4 ft 0.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:23 AM6.0 ft 6.0 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide4:07 PM1.2 ft 1.2 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:20 PM5.0 ft 5.0 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:55 AM0.7 ft 0.7 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:58 AM6.3 ft 6.3 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide4:56 PM0.6 ft 0.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide10:26 PM5.0 ft 5.0 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide4:37 AM1.1 ft 1.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide10:31 AM6.5 ft 6.5 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide5:40 PM0.1 ft 0.1 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide11:26 PM5.0 ft 5.0 ft
Today and Tomorrow at Petaluma RiverThis Week at Petaluma River
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 Richmond gauge · last 2448 hours
Tide predictions cover only the pull of the moon and sun. NOAA's Richmond gauge, about 14 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 this part of the bay.
Loading live readings from NOAA…
Predicted Measured
Today at a Glance
Tidal range today
6.6 ft
Typical this month: 6.3 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
7:34 AM / 6:12 PM
10h 38m of daylight
Petaluma River Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 6:58 AM4.9 ft
- ▼ Low 11:58 AM3.0 ft
- ▲ High 5:07 PM6.2 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▼ Low 1:04 AM−0.4 ft
- ▲ High 7:03 AM5.1 ft
- ▼ Low 12:32 PM2.8 ft
- ▲ High 5:22 PM5.7 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▼ Low 1:12 AM−0.1 ft
- ▲ High 7:58 AM5.3 ft
- ▼ Low 1:59 PM2.4 ft
- ▲ High 6:44 PM5.3 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▼ Low 2:14 AM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 8:44 AM5.7 ft
- ▼ Low 3:09 PM1.8 ft
- ▲ High 8:06 PM5.1 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 3:08 AM0.4 ft
- ▲ High 9:23 AM6.0 ft
- ▼ Low 4:07 PM1.2 ft
- ▲ High 9:20 PM5.0 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 3:55 AM0.7 ft
- ▲ High 9:58 AM6.3 ft
- ▼ Low 4:56 PM0.6 ft
- ▲ High 10:26 PM5.0 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 4:37 AM1.1 ft
- ▲ High 10:31 AM6.5 ft
- ▼ Low 5:40 PM0.1 ft
- ▲ High 11:26 PM5.0 ft
Minus Tides at Petaluma River
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 20, 4:39 PM−0.2 ft
Petaluma River Tides at the Mouth and Black Point
Petaluma River tides run well behind the Golden Gate. Tides here are predicted from NOAA’s Petaluma River entrance station, at the mouth of the river. NOAA’s offsets put high tide there about 83 minutes after the Golden Gate and low tide about 2 hours and 8 minutes after it.
The river is about 18 miles long and is a tidal slough for most of that length. It enters the northwest corner of San Pablo Bay about 5 miles east of Novato, passing under Highway 37 at Green Point. The Black Point Railroad Bridge is the first bridge upstream from the bay. The lower river winds through Petaluma Marsh, the largest remaining salt marsh in San Pablo Bay.
Boating and Fishing
The river is navigable up to Petaluma’s old town, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges the channel through the marsh for gravel barges and pleasure boats.
The Black Point Boat Launch on Harbor Drive in Novato sits below the Highway 37 bridge. You can launch a motorboat, kayak or paddleboard there. Anglers fish for striped bass and sturgeon, and boaters are asked to stay 50 feet away from the marsh.
Highway 37
The western part of Highway 37 near Novato runs through low marsh, and it floods, most often during king tides. Heavy rain and high tides closed it for about a month in early 2017. Flooding shut the stretch between Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue again in January 2023.
Tides Near Petaluma River
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Petaluma River: Richardson Bay 17 mi · Stinson Beach 17 mi · Tiburon 17 mi · Bolinas 17 mi · Sausalito 18 mi
Where the Petaluma River Tide Station Is
38.1150, -122.5057
Tide times for Petaluma River come from NOAA's Petaluma River entrance tide station (9415252), right at Petaluma River.
About Tides at Petaluma River
How the tide works at Petaluma River
Petaluma River 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 6.3 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 8.9 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 4.4 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Petaluma River predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Petaluma River entrance tide station (9415252), right at Petaluma River. 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.
Petaluma River Tide Questions
How much later is high tide on the Petaluma River than at the Golden Gate?
About an hour and 20 minutes at the river entrance. NOAA's offsets put high tide there about 83 minutes after the Golden Gate and low tide a little over 2 hours after it. So when San Francisco is at high water, the river at Black Point is still rising. Plan launches and fishing trips with the river entrance times.
Does Highway 37 flood at high tide?
The western stretch near Novato does. It has flooded many times, most often during king tides, because it runs through low marsh near the river and Novato Creek. Heavy rain and high tides closed it for about a month in early 2017, and flooding closed it again in January 2023.
What can you catch at the Black Point boat launch?
Marin County Parks lists striped bass, sturgeon and mud shrimp. The launch sits below the Highway 37 bridge near the river mouth, with a ramp, a dock and a fish cleaning station. Check the current California Department of Fish and Wildlife rules before keeping a sturgeon.
What time is high tide at Petaluma River today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Petaluma River 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 Petaluma River?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Petaluma River runs from about 4.4 ft on the quietest neap days to 8.9 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 6.3 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 Petaluma River tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Petaluma River entrance tide station (9415252), right at Petaluma River. 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.