Santa Barbara tides today
Santa Barbara keeps a NOAA reference gauge on its waterfront, on a stretch of coast that faces south across the Santa Barbara Channel toward the Channel Islands.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
Santa Barbara, CA · Tuesday, October 13
Tide falling, 3.0 ft now
Low 6:25 PM
0.3 ft · in 3 h 44 min
| High | 12:02 AM | 3.9 ft |
| Low | 4:42 AM | 2.4 ft |
| High | 11:03 AM | 5.7 ft |
| Low | 6:25 PM | 0.3 ft |
Tide coefficient 101 (average), range 5.4 ft
Sunrise 7:03 AM · sunset 6:27 PM
Waxing crescent, 10% lit · fishing day ★★☆☆
Solunar: major 1:44 AM–3:44 AM, minor 9:41 AM–10:41 AM, major 2:09 PM–4:09 PM, minor 7:33 PM–8:33 PM
Santa Barbara tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:02 AM 3.9 ft · 11:03 AM 5.7 ft | 4:42 AM 2.4 ft · 6:25 PM 0.3 ft | 101 | 7:03 AM–6:27 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:00 AM 3.5 ft · 11:30 AM 5.5 ft | 5:03 AM 2.8 ft · 7:15 PM 0.5 ft | 92 | 7:04 AM–6:25 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 2:16 AM 3.3 ft · 12:03 PM 5.2 ft | 5:15 AM 3.1 ft · 8:16 PM 0.8 ft | 81 | 7:04 AM–6:24 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:47 PM 4.8 ft | 9:35 PM 0.9 ft | 72 | 7:05 AM–6:23 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:58 PM 4.5 ft | 10:53 PM 0.9 ft | 67 | 7:06 AM–6:22 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 7:15 AM 3.8 ft · 3:47 PM 4.3 ft | 10:26 AM 3.6 ft · 11:50 PM 0.8 ft | 65 | 7:07 AM–6:20 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 7:17 AM 4.0 ft · 5:14 PM 4.3 ft | 11:58 AM 3.2 ft | 21 | 7:08 AM–6:19 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at Santa Barbara
- Tue Oct 13, 4:37 PM to 6:27 PM1 h 50 min · lowest 0.3 ft at 6:25 PM
- Wed Oct 14, 5:38 PM to 6:25 PM47 min · lowest 0.7 ft at 6:23 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 Santa Barbara (NOAA 9411340). Predicted astronomical tide: wind, river flow and storms can move the real water by a foot or more. 5.4 ft is the average daily range here.
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
Tide times for Santa Barbara come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 9411340, Santa Barbara. The tide here is mixed: two highs and two lows most days, but of unequal size, the two highs of a day differing by 1.7 ft on average, for an average daily range of 5.4 ft between the higher high and the lower low. Around the new and full moon the range grows to about 7.4 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 3.5 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 229 of the 457 days from October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 have one, down to -2.0 ft on January 21, 2027. The highest predicted tide of that period is 7.2 ft on December 24, 2026. Clock times are Pacific Time, daylight saving time included.
A coast that looks south
Between Point Conception and Ventura, the California shore turns and runs east to west. Santa Barbara sits on that turn with the mountains behind it and the channel in front, and the islands offshore block a good share of the northwest swell that hits the rest of the state. The tide does not care about that shelter: it arrives from the open Pacific through both ends of the channel and gives the city an average day of 5.4 ft. No other NOAA station lies within a dozen miles, so this one carries the tide for the whole stretch from Goleta to Carpinteria.
Bluffs, harbor sand and low-water walks
Much of the Santa Barbara shore is a narrow beach at the foot of eroding bluffs. On a high tide, especially in winter, the water reaches the base of the cliff in many places and the walk along the sand is cut. On a low, the same beach becomes a long, continuous strip and the rocky flats at the points come out. That is why a hiker here looks at the low before setting out, not the high: plan to finish while the water is still well down, because once it turns, a stretch that was dry can close. Inside the breakwater harbor, west of Stearns Wharf, the tide is the same but the waves stay small.
Seasons of the deep lows
The lowest water of the period is -2.0 ft, on January 21, 2027, a winter afternoon. In spring and summer the deep lows move to dawn. Spring tides here span 7.4 ft, neap tides 3.5 ft. The tide range guide explains why the gap shifts through the month.
Highest and lowest tides at Santa Barbara, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for Santa Barbara 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 | 8:46 AM | 7.2 ft |
| July 3, 2027 | 9:26 PM | 7.1 ft |
| August 1, 2027 | 9:19 PM | 7.1 ft |
| December 23, 2026 | 7:59 AM | 7.1 ft |
| July 4, 2027 | 10:14 PM | 7.1 ft |
| November 25, 2026 | 8:54 AM | 7.1 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| January 21, 2027 | 3:15 PM | -2.0 ft |
| December 24, 2026 | 4:17 PM | -1.9 ft |
| January 22, 2027 | 3:55 PM | -1.9 ft |
| December 23, 2026 | 3:31 PM | -1.8 ft |
| December 25, 2026 | 5:03 PM | -1.8 ft |
| January 20, 2027 | 2:34 PM | -1.7 ft |
Tidal datums at station 9411340
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): 5.4 ft.
| Datum | Meaning | Height above MLLW |
|---|---|---|
| MHHW | Mean Higher High Water | 5.4 ft |
| MHW | Mean High Water | 4.6 ft |
| MSL | Mean Sea Level | 2.8 ft |
| MLW | Mean Low Water | 1.0 ft |
| MLLW | Mean Lower Low Water (chart zero) | 0.0 ft |
Other stations nearby
- 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
- Newport Beach tides: Balboa Pier, Newport Beach, average range 5.3 ft, highest predicted tide 7.0 ft on December 24, 2026
- La Jolla tides: La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf), average range 5.3 ft, highest predicted tide 7.2 ft on August 1, 2027
- San Diego tides: SAN DIEGO (Broadway), average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 7.6 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