La Jolla tides today
The gauge on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier, at the north end of La Jolla Shores, measures the open Pacific tide for the San Diego coast.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
La Jolla, CA · Tuesday, October 13
Tide falling, 2.3 ft now
Low 5:47 PM
0.2 ft · in 3 h 6 min
| Low | 4:13 AM | 2.1 ft |
| High | 10:33 AM | 5.7 ft |
| Low | 5:47 PM | 0.2 ft |
Tide coefficient 104 (average), range 5.5 ft
Sunrise 6:52 AM · sunset 6:18 PM
Waxing crescent, 10% lit · fishing day ★★☆☆
Solunar: major 1:34 AM–3:34 AM, minor 9:27 AM–10:27 AM, major 1:59 PM–3:59 PM, minor 7:27 PM–8:27 PM
La Jolla tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:33 AM 5.7 ft | 4:13 AM 2.1 ft · 5:47 PM 0.2 ft | 104 | 6:52 AM–6:18 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:11 AM 3.4 ft · 10:59 AM 5.5 ft | 4:30 AM 2.4 ft · 6:36 PM 0.5 ft | 93 | 6:53 AM–6:17 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:21 AM 3.1 ft · 11:29 AM 5.1 ft | 4:40 AM 2.8 ft · 7:37 PM 0.8 ft | 81 | 6:53 AM–6:16 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:08 PM 4.7 ft | 8:59 PM 1.0 ft | 71 | 6:54 AM–6:14 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:15 PM 4.4 ft | 10:24 PM 0.9 ft | 64 | 6:55 AM–6:13 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 7:16 AM 3.6 ft · 3:13 PM 4.1 ft | 9:40 AM 3.6 ft · 11:25 PM 0.8 ft | 62 | 6:56 AM–6:12 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 6:57 AM 3.8 ft · 4:49 PM 4.2 ft | 11:31 AM 3.1 ft | 20 | 6:56 AM–6:11 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at La Jolla
- Tue Oct 13, 3:57 PM to 6:18 PM2 h 21 min · lowest 0.2 ft at 5:47 PM
- Wed Oct 14, 4:56 PM to 6:17 PM1 h 21 min · lowest 0.5 ft at 6:15 PM
A falling tide uncovers sand bars and tide pools first; plan to be back before the water rises past the level you chose. Not for navigation.
Station La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) (NOAA 9410230). Predicted astronomical tide: wind, river flow and storms can move the real water by a foot or more. 5.3 ft is the average daily range here.
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
Tide times for La Jolla come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 9410230, La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf). The tide here is mixed: two highs and two lows most days, but of unequal size, the two highs of a day differing by 1.6 ft on average, for an average daily range of 5.3 ft between the higher high and the lower low. Around the new and full moon the range grows to about 7.3 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 3.4 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 226 of the 457 days from October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 have one, down to -1.9 ft on January 21, 2027. The highest predicted tide of that period is 7.2 ft on August 1, 2027. Clock times are Pacific Time, daylight saving time included.
A research pier on open water
The Scripps pier reaches straight out from a sandy beach into the Pacific, with nothing between the instrument and the ocean swell. That makes it the cleanest tide record in San Diego County for anyone who spends time on the outer coast: the waterline at La Jolla Shores, the reefs below the bluffs and the cove all follow it closely. The average daily swing is 5.3 ft, a touch smaller than the 5.6 ft measured in San Diego Bay. Mission Bay, five miles south, has its own NOAA gauge at Campland, and NOAA predicts its Quivira Basin from the downtown San Diego station with high water 5 minutes later and heights at 95 percent.
The cove, the reefs and the sand shelf
South of the pier the beach narrows and gives way to sandstone ledges and rocky points toward La Jolla Cove. At a high tide with swell, much of that shore is under moving water; at a low it turns into ledges, pools and channels. Kayakers and snorkelers leaving from the Shores feel the tide less than the surf, yet a low tide makes the launch longer and the shallow reef patches easier to scrape. Anyone walking north under the cliffs toward Black's Beach should know when the water comes back up, since the sand at the foot of the bluffs is narrow in places.
When the lowest water comes
The extreme lows here follow the seasonal habit of the Pacific coast. In winter they arrive in the afternoon, the lowest of this prediction period reaching -1.9 ft on January 21, 2027. From late spring into summer they move to the early morning hours. The beach walk planner filters the daylight hours below the level you pick.
Highest and lowest tides at La Jolla, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) between October 1, 2026 and December 31, 2027, one per day. The high-water dates are the king tides of this station; the low-water dates are the best days to see the flats, bars and tide pools.
| Highest highs | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| August 1, 2027 | 8:55 PM | 7.2 ft |
| December 24, 2026 | 8:23 AM | 7.1 ft |
| July 3, 2027 | 9:02 PM | 7.1 ft |
| July 4, 2027 | 9:50 PM | 7.1 ft |
| August 2, 2027 | 9:43 PM | 7.0 ft |
| December 23, 2026 | 7:36 AM | 7.0 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| January 21, 2027 | 2:48 PM | -1.9 ft |
| December 24, 2026 | 3:47 PM | -1.9 ft |
| January 22, 2027 | 3:27 PM | -1.9 ft |
| December 23, 2026 | 3:02 PM | -1.8 ft |
| December 25, 2026 | 4:33 PM | -1.7 ft |
| January 20, 2027 | 2:08 PM | -1.7 ft |
Tidal datums at station 9410230
NOAA's averages over the 1983-2001 epoch, measured from the chart zero (MLLW). Average range of the tide (MN): 3.7 ft; great diurnal range (GT): 5.3 ft.
| Datum | Meaning | Height above MLLW |
|---|---|---|
| MHHW | Mean Higher High Water | 5.3 ft |
| MHW | Mean High Water | 4.6 ft |
| MSL | Mean Sea Level | 2.7 ft |
| MLW | Mean Low Water | 0.9 ft |
| MLLW | Mean Lower Low Water (chart zero) | 0.0 ft |
Other stations nearby
- San Diego tides: SAN DIEGO (Broadway), average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 7.6 ft on December 24, 2026
- Newport Beach tides: Balboa Pier, Newport Beach, average range 5.3 ft, highest predicted tide 7.0 ft on December 24, 2026
- Long Beach tides: Long Beach, Terminal Island, average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 7.4 ft on December 24, 2026
- Santa Monica tides: Santa Monica, Municipal Pier, average range 5.4 ft, highest predicted tide 7.3 ft on August 1, 2027
- Santa Barbara tides: Santa Barbara, average range 5.4 ft, highest predicted tide 7.2 ft on December 24, 2026
- Monterey tides: MONTEREY, MONTEREY BAY, average range 5.3 ft, highest predicted tide 7.0 ft on December 24, 2026