Monterey tides today
The Monterey gauge sits in the harbor at the southern end of Monterey Bay and serves as the NOAA reference for the bay and for Carmel.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
Monterey, CA · Tuesday, October 13
Tide falling, 4.0 ft now
Low 7:26 PM
0.1 ft · in 4 h 45 min
| High | 1:18 AM | 4.0 ft |
| Low | 5:55 AM | 2.7 ft |
| High | 12:02 PM | 5.6 ft |
| Low | 7:26 PM | 0.1 ft |
Tide coefficient 102 (average), range 5.4 ft
Sunrise 7:13 AM · sunset 6:34 PM
Waxing crescent, 10% lit · fishing day ★★☆☆
Solunar: major 1:53 AM–3:53 AM, minor 9:57 AM–10:57 AM, major 2:18 PM–4:18 PM, minor 7:35 PM–8:35 PM
Monterey tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:18 AM 4.0 ft · 12:02 PM 5.6 ft | 5:55 AM 2.7 ft · 7:26 PM 0.1 ft | 102 | 7:13 AM–6:34 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 2:20 AM 3.8 ft · 12:33 PM 5.3 ft | 6:24 AM 3.0 ft · 8:15 PM 0.3 ft | 95 | 7:14 AM–6:32 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 3:37 AM 3.6 ft · 1:10 PM 5.1 ft | 6:55 AM 3.3 ft · 9:11 PM 0.5 ft | 87 | 7:15 AM–6:31 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 5:10 AM 3.6 ft · 1:58 PM 4.8 ft | 7:37 AM 3.5 ft · 10:14 PM 0.6 ft | 79 | 7:16 AM–6:30 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 6:33 AM 3.7 ft · 3:04 PM 4.5 ft | 9:03 AM 3.6 ft · 11:18 PM 0.6 ft | 73 | 7:17 AM–6:28 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 7:17 AM 3.8 ft · 4:24 PM 4.4 ft | 11:05 AM 3.5 ft | 16 | 7:18 AM–6:27 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 7:44 AM 4.0 ft · 5:41 PM 4.3 ft | 12:15 AM 0.6 ft · 12:28 PM 3.2 ft | 69 | 7:19 AM–6:26 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at Monterey
- Tue Oct 13, 5:28 PM to 6:34 PM1 h 6 min · lowest 0.3 ft at 6:33 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 MONTEREY, MONTEREY BAY (NOAA 9413450). 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 Monterey come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 9413450, MONTEREY, MONTEREY BAY. The tide here is mixed: two highs and two lows most days, but of unequal size, the two highs of a day differing by 1.5 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 7.2 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 3.7 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 231 of the 457 days from October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 have one, down to -1.8 ft on December 24, 2026. The highest predicted tide of that period is 7.0 ft on December 24, 2026. Clock times are Pacific Time, daylight saving time included.
The southern corner of a great bay
Monterey Bay opens wide to the west, a curve of shoreline more than 20 miles across from Santa Cruz to the Monterey Peninsula. The harbor gauge sits in its sheltered southern corner, behind the peninsula that blocks the northwest swell. An average day here spans 5.3 ft, close to the figure of the Southern California beaches and well short of the Oregon estuaries. Spring tides reach 7.2 ft. Across the peninsula, NOAA predicts Carmel Cove from this gauge with high water 3 minutes earlier and heights at 97 percent, so a single table covers both shores.
Granite benches of the peninsula
West of the harbor, past Cannery Row, the coast becomes a rocky shelf of granite all the way around to Point Pinos and the shore of Pacific Grove. This is one of the classic places in California for looking at the intertidal zone, and the tide decides how much of it shows. The upper band of rock is dry most of the day; the lower one, with its deeper pools, comes out only when the water falls below the chart zero, on 231 days of the prediction period. The whole bay is part of a national marine sanctuary, so treat what you lift as something to put back.
Kayaks and the kelp edge
Paddlers leaving the harbor beaches often prefer the morning, before the afternoon wind comes up. A higher tide gives more water over the rocks near shore; a lower one exposes them and shrinks the passages through the kelp. The Santa Cruz page gives the other end of the bay.
Highest and lowest tides at Monterey, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for MONTEREY, MONTEREY BAY 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 |
|---|---|---|
| December 24, 2026 | 9:27 AM | 7.0 ft |
| December 23, 2026 | 8:38 AM | 7.0 ft |
| November 25, 2026 | 9:39 AM | 6.9 ft |
| July 3, 2027 | 10:06 PM | 6.8 ft |
| December 25, 2026 | 10:18 AM | 6.8 ft |
| January 21, 2027 | 8:30 AM | 6.8 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| December 24, 2026 | 5:06 PM | -1.8 ft |
| June 6, 2027 | 6:47 AM | -1.8 ft |
| December 23, 2026 | 4:19 PM | -1.7 ft |
| January 21, 2027 | 4:02 PM | -1.7 ft |
| July 4, 2027 | 5:43 AM | -1.7 ft |
| December 25, 2026 | 5:53 PM | -1.7 ft |
Tidal datums at station 9413450
NOAA's averages over the 1983-2001 epoch, measured from the chart zero (MLLW). Average range of the tide (MN): 3.5 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 | 2.8 ft |
| MLW | Mean Low Water | 1.1 ft |
| MLLW | Mean Lower Low Water (chart zero) | 0.0 ft |
Other stations nearby
- Santa Cruz tides: Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, average range 5.2 ft, highest predicted tide 6.8 ft on December 24, 2026
- Half Moon Bay tides: Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay, average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 7.2 ft on December 24, 2026
- San Francisco tides: SAN FRANCISCO (Golden Gate), average range 5.8 ft, highest predicted tide 7.2 ft on December 24, 2026
- Santa Barbara tides: Santa Barbara, average range 5.4 ft, highest predicted tide 7.2 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
- Long Beach tides: Long Beach, Terminal Island, average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 7.4 ft on December 24, 2026