Point Reyes Tides: Tide Chart and Times
Marin County, California · Pacific time · feet
The tide at Point Reyes today starts with a high of 4.4 ft at 4:56 AM, falls to a low of 3.5 ft at 9:03 AM, climbs to a high of 5.8 ft at 2:51 PM, then falls to a low of −0.5 ft at 10:37 PM.
The falling tide is now 5.2 ft
Next high
13h 34m
4:59 AM
Next low
6h 12m
10:37 PM
Point Reyes is the headland at the far west end of Point Reyes National Seashore, with the Great Beach on one side and Drakes Beach on the other. The tide matters most here for tidepools, beach walks and the winter elephant seal beaches.
Also covers Point Reyes Beach, Drakes Beach, Chimney Rock, Kehoe Beach, McClures Beach.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:56 AM4.4 ft 4.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide9:03 AM3.5 ft 3.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide2:51 PM5.8 ft 5.8 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:37 PM−0.5 ft −0.5 ft
Sunday, November 1
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:59 AM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide9:40 AM3.4 ft 3.4 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide3:10 PM5.4 ft 5.4 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide10:41 PM−0.2 ft −0.2 ft
Monday, November 2
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:52 AM4.9 ft 4.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:12 AM3.0 ft 3.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide4:35 PM5.0 ft 5.0 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide11:39 PM0.2 ft 0.2 ft
Tuesday, November 3
- ▲ ▲ High tide6:36 AM5.2 ft 5.2 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:28 PM2.3 ft 2.3 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide5:58 PM4.8 ft 4.8 ft
Wednesday, November 4
- ▼ ▼ Low tide12:31 AM0.6 ft 0.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:14 AM5.6 ft 5.6 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:30 PM1.6 ft 1.6 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:15 PM4.7 ft 4.7 ft
Thursday, November 5
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:18 AM1.0 ft 1.0 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide7:48 AM5.9 ft 5.9 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide2:20 PM0.8 ft 0.8 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:21 PM4.6 ft 4.6 ft
Friday, November 6
- ▼ ▼ Low tide1:59 AM1.5 ft 1.5 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide8:19 AM6.1 ft 6.1 ft
- ▼ ▼ Low tide3:05 PM0.3 ft 0.3 ft
- ▲ ▲ High tide9:19 PM4.5 ft 4.5 ft
Today and Tomorrow at Point ReyesThis Week at Point Reyes
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, at the spot, 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
6.3 ft
Typical this month: 5.9 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 / 6:14 PM
10h 38m of daylight
Point Reyes Tide Table, Next 7 Days
From today · Pacific time
Today, Oct 31
- ▲ High 4:56 AM4.4 ft
- ▼ Low 9:03 AM3.5 ft
- ▲ High 2:51 PM5.8 ft
- ▼ Low 10:37 PM−0.5 ft
Sunday, Nov 1
- ▲ High 4:59 AM4.6 ft
- ▼ Low 9:40 AM3.4 ft
- ▲ High 3:10 PM5.4 ft
- ▼ Low 10:41 PM−0.2 ft
Monday, Nov 2
- ▲ High 5:52 AM4.9 ft
- ▼ Low 11:12 AM3.0 ft
- ▲ High 4:35 PM5.0 ft
- ▼ Low 11:39 PM0.2 ft
Tuesday, Nov 3
- ▲ High 6:36 AM5.2 ft
- ▼ Low 12:28 PM2.3 ft
- ▲ High 5:58 PM4.8 ft
Wednesday, Nov 4
- ▼ Low 12:31 AM0.6 ft
- ▲ High 7:14 AM5.6 ft
- ▼ Low 1:30 PM1.6 ft
- ▲ High 7:15 PM4.7 ft
Thursday, Nov 5
- ▼ Low 1:18 AM1.0 ft
- ▲ High 7:48 AM5.9 ft
- ▼ Low 2:20 PM0.8 ft
- ▲ High 8:21 PM4.6 ft
Friday, Nov 6
- ▼ Low 1:59 AM1.5 ft
- ▲ High 8:19 AM6.1 ft
- ▼ Low 3:05 PM0.3 ft
- ▲ High 9:19 PM4.5 ft
Minus Tides at Point Reyes
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, 3:46 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Nov 8, 4:25 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Nov 9, 5:03 PM−0.6 ft
- Sunday, Nov 22, 3:13 PM−0.5 ft
- Monday, Nov 23, 3:58 PM−1.2 ft
- Tuesday, Nov 24, 4:45 PM−1.6 ft
- Saturday, Dec 5, 2:55 PM−0.2 ft
- Sunday, Dec 6, 3:35 PM−0.5 ft
Point Reyes Tide Chart: Beaches, Tidepools and Seals
A Point Reyes tide chart is about more than one beach. To the north and west is Point Reyes Beach, often called the Great Beach, facing the open Pacific and its large waves. To the east is Drakes Bay, with Drakes Beach and Chimney Rock.
Tidepools on the Lowest Tides
The National Park Service says the best and safest tidepools in the park are at Sculptured Beach, reached on foot from Limantour Beach. McClures Beach, at the north end of the park, has good tidepooling at its south end and through a gap to the next beach, but only on the lowest tides. Explore it on a low or outgoing tide, since McClures takes the full force of the Pacific surf.
Plan on a minus tide. Be on the rocks an hour before the low and back off them within an hour after the water turns. Stand on bare rock or sand, put back any rock you lift, and never turn your back to the ocean.
Big Surf and Cold Water
The ocean here can be as cold as 50°F. Sneaker waves, rip currents and hypothermia are the hazards the park warns about most. The park does not recommend swimming at McClures at any tide.
Elephant Seals at Drakes Beach
From December through March, elephant seals gather on the beaches around the headland to give birth and mate. Since the winter of 2018 to 2019, males have also come onto Drakes Beach by the visitor center, and the park has closed the beach for stretches of the season. The Elephant Seal Overlook near Chimney Rock is the place to watch them. Fishing is not allowed on Drakes Beach.
Tides here are predicted from NOAA’s Point Reyes station, right at the point, less than a quarter mile away.
Tides Near Point Reyes
All Marin tides →How the tide is running right now at the closest spots.
Also close to Point Reyes: Tomales Bay 12 mi · Agate Beach 16 mi · Duxbury Reef 17 mi · Bolinas 17 mi · Dillon Beach 18 mi
Where the Point Reyes Tide Station Is
37.9942, -122.9736
Tide times for Point Reyes come from NOAA's Point Reyes tide station (9415020), right at Point Reyes.
About Tides at Point Reyes
How the tide works at Point Reyes
Point Reyes 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 5.9 ft from low water to the next high. The biggest spring tides of the next month stretch that to about 9.0 ft, and the quietest neap days shrink it to about 3.4 ft. The next spring tides peak around Nov 9.
Where the Point Reyes predictions come from
Every time and height is a NOAA prediction for NOAA's Point Reyes tide station (9415020), right at Point Reyes. 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.
Point Reyes Tide Questions
Does Point Reyes have tide pools?
Yes. The National Park Service says the best and safest tidepools in the park are at Sculptured Beach, about two miles south of Limantour Beach. McClures Beach also has tidepools at its south end on the lowest tides. Most others face the open ocean and get large waves, so go only on a minus tide.
What is the best tide for tidepooling at Point Reyes?
A minus low tide. Not every low tide is a minus tide, and some are not low enough to show much. The park says to be at the tidepools at least an hour before low tide and to leave no later than an hour after the water starts rising. At high tide on some rocky sections there is no way out.
Is Drakes Beach open in winter?
Sometimes not. Since the winter of 2018 to 2019, male elephant seals have come onto Drakes Beach next to the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center, and the park has closed the beach, or the whole Drakes Beach area, for stretches of the December through March season. The colony at the far west end is closed all year.
What time is high tide at Point Reyes today?
The panel at the top lists today's highs and lows at Point Reyes 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 Point Reyes?
Over the next 30 days the daily swing at Point Reyes runs from about 3.4 ft on the quietest neap days to 9.0 ft on the biggest spring tides, with 5.9 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 Point Reyes tide times come from?
They are astronomical predictions from NOAA's Point Reyes tide station (9415020), right at Point Reyes. 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.