Predictions updated
New Jersey tides today
Five stations on the Jersey Shore, where barrier islands put an ocean tide in front and a smaller, later bay tide behind.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
Cape May, NJ · Tuesday, October 13
Tide rising, 0.6 ft now
High 11:16 PM
4.7 ft · in 5 h 35 min
| Low | 4:25 AM | 0.5 ft |
| High | 10:55 AM | 5.8 ft |
| Low | 5:07 PM | 0.5 ft |
| High | 11:16 PM | 4.7 ft |
Tide coefficient 103 (average), range 5.3 ft
Sunrise 7:07 AM · sunset 6:24 PM
Waxing crescent, 9% lit · fishing day ★★★☆
Solunar: major 1:39 AM–3:39 AM, minor 9:49 AM–10:49 AM, major 2:04 PM–4:04 PM, minor 7:14 PM–8:14 PM
Cape May tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:55 AM 5.8 ft · 11:16 PM 4.7 ft | 4:25 AM 0.5 ft · 5:07 PM 0.5 ft | 103 | 7:07 AM–6:24 PM | Waxing crescent ★★★☆ | |
| 11:34 AM 5.6 ft · 11:56 PM 4.4 ft | 5:03 AM 0.7 ft · 5:49 PM 0.8 ft | 95 | 7:08 AM–6:23 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:15 PM 5.4 ft | 5:44 AM 0.9 ft · 6:35 PM 1.0 ft | 87 | 7:09 AM–6:21 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:40 AM 4.2 ft · 1:00 PM 5.2 ft | 6:29 AM 1.1 ft · 7:24 PM 1.2 ft | 79 | 7:10 AM–6:20 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:28 AM 4.0 ft · 1:51 PM 5.0 ft | 7:19 AM 1.3 ft · 8:17 PM 1.3 ft | 73 | 7:11 AM–6:18 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 2:22 AM 3.9 ft · 2:46 PM 4.9 ft | 8:14 AM 1.3 ft · 9:13 PM 1.3 ft | 70 | 7:12 AM–6:17 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 3:21 AM 3.9 ft · 3:44 PM 4.9 ft | 9:13 AM 1.3 ft · 10:08 PM 1.2 ft | 71 | 7:13 AM–6:16 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Station Cape May, ferry terminal (NOAA 8536110). Predicted astronomical tide: wind, river flow and storms can move the real water by a foot or more. 5.1 ft is the average daily range here.
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
The Jersey Shore is a chain of barrier islands, and every town on it has two tides: the Atlantic in front, the bay behind. On the ocean the tide is semidiurnal and regular, two highs and two lows a day, with an average range of 5.1 ft at Cape May, the largest of the five stations on this site; at Long Beach Island the inlet station averages 2.6 ft, and Barnegat Bay behind it hardly moves at all. In the back bays and thorofares, high water usually comes thirty minutes to an hour and a half after the ocean, with heights close to or smaller than the ocean's. Pick a station in the tool above for today's curve and times, or open its page for seven days, king tides and a planner. NOAA predicts most of the southern shore from its Atlantic City ocean station.
New Jersey tide stations on this site
| Station page | NOAA station | Tide type | Average range | Highest predicted | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May | Cape May, ferry terminal | semidiurnal | 5.1 ft | 6.5 ft · August 2, 2027 | -1.0 ft |
| Wildwood | Wildwood Crest, ocean pier | semidiurnal | 4.7 ft | 6.1 ft · August 2, 2027 | -1.0 ft |
| Ocean City | Longport (inside), Great Egg Harbor Inlet | semidiurnal | 4.1 ft | 5.2 ft · July 4, 2027 | -0.8 ft |
| Atlantic City | Atlantic City (Ocean) | semidiurnal | 4.3 ft | 5.7 ft · August 2, 2027 | -1.1 ft |
| Long Beach Island | Barnegat Inlet, USCG Station | semidiurnal | 2.6 ft | 3.2 ft · October 1, 2027 | -0.8 ft |
Inlets decide the bay tide
Water reaches the bays behind the islands only through inlets, and their size sets how much tide gets in. Behind Atlantic City, the thorofares turn 40 to 90 minutes after the ocean with nearly the full height. Behind Long Beach Island, Barnegat Bay is a long lagoon fed mainly by one narrow inlet, and NOAA predicts its shore at a tenth of the ocean's range, three hours late: there, the wind moves the water more than the moon.
Cape May: two waters
At the southern tip, Cape May sits between the Atlantic and Delaware Bay. NOAA predicts the bay-side beaches from Lewes, Delaware, and the ocean side from Atlantic City, and the timing differs by more than half an hour. The rips off the point mark where the bay's tidal current meets the ocean.
Flooding on the bay side
Bayside streets in many shore towns take water on the highest tides of the year, especially with a northeast wind that holds water in the bays for several tides in a row. The station pages list the six highest predicted tides of the period; the king tides guide explains why they cluster around the new and full moons near perigee.
Beaches that change with the tide
Jersey Shore beaches are mostly flat, sandy and fronted by bars, and the tide changes how they work. At low tide the bars come close to the surface and waves break further out; at high tide they roll in and break on the beach. Anglers in the surf fish the troughs on the rising tide, and the jetties at the inlets fish best when the water is moving. Lifeguarded beaches move their flags as the water rises.
Questions about these tides
How much later is high tide in the New Jersey back bays?
Typically 30 minutes to an hour and a half after the ocean, depending on the inlet and the distance. NOAA predicts the Atlantic City thorofares 38 to 88 minutes after the ocean, the Wildwood back bays about an hour after. Barnegat Bay is an exception, with a tiny tide three hours late.
Why does Barnegat Bay have almost no tide?
Because the bay is long, shallow and connected to the ocean mainly through narrow Barnegat Inlet, which lets in only a fraction of the ocean tide. NOAA predicts its shore stations at about a tenth of the ocean range or less. Wind, especially a sustained northeast or west wind, moves the bay level more than the tide.
Which New Jersey beach has the biggest tide?
Among the five stations on this site, Cape May has the largest average range, a little over five feet, followed by Wildwood and Atlantic City. Barnegat Inlet at Long Beach Island has the smallest, about two and a half feet, and the bay behind it far less.
Read next
Where the figures come from
Published by Radif Partners
Publisher of tide charts, solunar fishing times and beach and boat-ramp planners for US coastal stations
Predictions updated · Editorial policy · Contact
Predictions, not measurements: the times and heights are NOAA’s astronomical tide for the station named on the page. An onshore wind, a storm surge or a river in flood can raise the water well above them, and an offshore wind can hold it down. Never use this page to navigate.
Tide predictions 2026, downloaded from the National Ocean Service on