Cape May tides today
The Cape May ferry terminal station sits on the Cape May Canal at the mouth of Delaware Bay, at the southern tip of New Jersey.
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 ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at Cape May
- Tue Oct 13, 5:41 PM to 6:24 PM43 min · lowest 0.5 ft at 5:04 PM
- Wed Oct 14, 4:53 PM to 6:23 PM1 h 30 min · lowest 0.8 ft at 5:52 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 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
Tide times for Cape May come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 8536110, Cape May, ferry terminal. The tide here is semidiurnal: two highs and two lows of similar height every day, about six hours and a quarter apart, with an average daily range of 5.1 ft. Around the new and full moon the range grows to about 6.3 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 4.1 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 137 of the 457 days from October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 have one, down to -1.0 ft on January 23, 2027. The highest predicted tide of that period is 6.5 ft on August 2, 2027. Clock times are Eastern Time, daylight saving time included.
Two waters meet at the cape
Cape May faces the Atlantic on one side and Delaware Bay on the other, and NOAA predicts its secondary stations from both sides. Sunset Beach at Cape May Point and North Highlands Beach on the bay shore are computed from Lewes, Delaware, across the bay mouth, with heights 16 to 26 percent larger. Cape May Harbor, the Atlantic beachfront and Cape Island Creek are computed from Atlantic City, with high water about 35 to 40 minutes later and heights around 10 percent larger. The ferry terminal station on this page averages 5.1 ft from low to high.
Sunset Beach and the bay side
On the bay side the beaches slope gently and the tide uncovers more sand at low water; the stones known as Cape May diamonds wash up at Sunset Beach, where the old concrete ship lies just offshore. At low tide more of the hull shows. The lowest predicted low this period is -1.0 ft, on January 23, 2027.
The rips at the mouth of the bay
Water moving in and out of Delaware Bay crosses the shoals off the cape, where the tidal current meets ocean swell. Boaters crossing to Lewes and anglers fishing the rips plan on the current more than the height. For the Atlantic beaches of the island, the Wildwood station is close in timing, and the Lewes page shows the other side of the bay.
Highest and lowest tides at Cape May, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for Cape May, ferry terminal 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 2, 2027 | 9:27 PM | 6.5 ft |
| July 4, 2027 | 9:43 PM | 6.5 ft |
| August 3, 2027 | 10:18 PM | 6.4 ft |
| July 5, 2027 | 10:35 PM | 6.4 ft |
| August 1, 2027 | 8:34 PM | 6.4 ft |
| August 31, 2027 | 9:08 PM | 6.4 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2027 | 2:21 AM | -1.0 ft |
| January 24, 2027 | 3:14 AM | -1.0 ft |
| February 21, 2027 | 2:10 AM | -1.0 ft |
| February 22, 2027 | 3:01 AM | -1.0 ft |
| January 22, 2027 | 1:27 AM | -0.9 ft |
| January 25, 2027 | 4:07 AM | -0.9 ft |
Tidal datums at station 8536110
NOAA's averages over the 1983-2001 epoch, measured from the chart zero (MLLW). Average range of the tide (MN): 4.9 ft; great diurnal range (GT): 5.4 ft.
| Datum | Meaning | Height above MLLW |
|---|---|---|
| MHHW | Mean Higher High Water | 5.5 ft |
| MHW | Mean High Water | 5.0 ft |
| MSL | Mean Sea Level | 2.6 ft |
| MLW | Mean Low Water | 0.2 ft |
| MLLW | Mean Lower Low Water (chart zero) | 0.0 ft |
Other stations nearby
- Wildwood tides: Wildwood Crest, ocean pier, average range 4.7 ft, highest predicted tide 6.1 ft on August 2, 2027
- Ocean City tides: Longport (inside), Great Egg Harbor Inlet, average range 4.1 ft, highest predicted tide 5.2 ft on July 4, 2027
- Atlantic City tides: Atlantic City (Ocean), average range 4.3 ft, highest predicted tide 5.7 ft on August 2, 2027
- Long Beach Island tides: Barnegat Inlet, USCG Station, average range 2.6 ft, highest predicted tide 3.2 ft on October 1, 2027