Duck tides today
The Duck pier, a long research pier on the ocean side of the northern Outer Banks, is the reference tide station for this stretch of coast.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
Duck, NC · Tuesday, October 13
Tide rising, 1.0 ft now
High 10:01 PM
3.3 ft · in 4 h 20 min
| Low | 3:16 AM | 0.5 ft |
| High | 9:46 AM | 4.2 ft |
| Low | 4:08 PM | 0.7 ft |
| High | 10:01 PM | 3.3 ft |
Tide coefficient 105 (average), range 3.7 ft
Sunrise 7:08 AM · sunset 6:30 PM
Waxing crescent, 9% lit · fishing day ★★★☆
Solunar: major 1:43 AM–3:43 AM, minor 9:43 AM–10:43 AM, major 2:07 PM–4:07 PM, minor 7:27 PM–8:27 PM
Duck tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:46 AM 4.2 ft · 10:01 PM 3.3 ft | 3:16 AM 0.5 ft · 4:08 PM 0.7 ft | 105 | 7:08 AM–6:30 PM | Waxing crescent ★★★☆ | |
| 10:25 AM 4.0 ft · 10:43 PM 3.1 ft | 3:54 AM 0.7 ft · 4:51 PM 0.8 ft | 94 | 7:09 AM–6:28 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 11:07 AM 3.9 ft · 11:26 PM 3.0 ft | 4:35 AM 0.9 ft · 5:37 PM 1.0 ft | 83 | 7:10 AM–6:27 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 11:50 AM 3.7 ft | 5:21 AM 1.1 ft · 6:25 PM 1.1 ft | 74 | 7:11 AM–6:26 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:11 AM 2.9 ft · 12:35 PM 3.5 ft | 6:11 AM 1.2 ft · 7:17 PM 1.2 ft | 67 | 7:12 AM–6:24 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:01 AM 2.8 ft · 1:28 PM 3.4 ft | 7:04 AM 1.3 ft · 8:13 PM 1.2 ft | 64 | 7:13 AM–6:23 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 2:04 AM 2.8 ft · 2:30 PM 3.4 ft | 8:05 AM 1.3 ft · 9:07 PM 1.1 ft | 65 | 7:14 AM–6:22 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at Duck
- Wed Oct 14, 3:49 PM to 5:57 PM2 h 8 min · lowest 0.8 ft at 4:54 PM
- Thu Oct 15, 5:22 PM to 6:00 PM38 min · lowest 1.0 ft at 5:37 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 DUCK PIER (NOAA 8651370). Predicted astronomical tide: wind, river flow and storms can move the real water by a foot or more. 3.5 ft is the average daily range here.
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
Tide times for Duck come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 8651370, DUCK PIER. 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 3.5 ft. Around the new and full moon the range grows to about 4.5 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 2.6 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 164 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 4.7 ft on October 1, 2027. Clock times are Eastern Time, daylight saving time included.
A research pier as the coast's reference
The pier at Duck reaches far out across the surf zone and has been used for decades to study waves and the beach. Its tide gauge is the reference NOAA uses for much of the northern Outer Banks and as far as the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The average day here runs 3.5 ft from low to high. Kitty Hawk's ocean beach, six miles south, is predicted from Duck with the same times and a slightly lower low.
Ocean and sound: one town, two waters
Duck is a thin strip between the Atlantic and Currituck Sound, and the two sides could hardly be more different. The ocean rises and falls by several feet twice a day; the sound, closed off from the sea by the barrier island and fed by distant inlets, has almost no lunar tide at all and moves mostly with the wind. Sunset watchers on the sound-side boardwalk see the water level change with a southwest or northeast breeze, not with the moon. For the ocean beach, the times on this page are the ones to use.
Surf, sand and the low-tide trough
On this coast a sandbar usually runs parallel to the beach with a trough inside it. At low tide the bar is shallow and waves break on it; at high tide they roll over it and break on the beach. The trough can carry a current along the shore and out through gaps in the bar. The lowest predicted low this period is -1.0 ft, on January 23, 2027. The Outer Banks comparison puts Duck next to Nags Head, Oregon Inlet and Hatteras.
Highest and lowest tides at Duck, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for DUCK PIER 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 |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2027 | 8:51 AM | 4.7 ft |
| October 27, 2026 | 8:36 AM | 4.7 ft |
| October 28, 2026 | 9:25 AM | 4.7 ft |
| September 30, 2027 | 8:05 AM | 4.7 ft |
| October 2, 2027 | 9:37 AM | 4.7 ft |
| October 29, 2027 | 7:45 AM | 4.6 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2027 | 1:19 AM | -1.0 ft |
| January 24, 2027 | 2:12 AM | -0.9 ft |
| January 22, 2027 | 12:25 AM | -0.9 ft |
| February 21, 2027 | 1:11 AM | -0.9 ft |
| February 22, 2027 | 2:01 AM | -0.8 ft |
| February 20, 2027 | 12:18 AM | -0.8 ft |
Tidal datums at station 8651370
NOAA's averages over the 1983-2001 epoch, measured from the chart zero (MLLW). Average range of the tide (MN): 3.2 ft; great diurnal range (GT): 3.7 ft.
| Datum | Meaning | Height above MLLW |
|---|---|---|
| MHHW | Mean Higher High Water | 3.7 ft |
| MHW | Mean High Water | 3.4 ft |
| MSL | Mean Sea Level | 1.8 ft |
| MLW | Mean Low Water | 0.1 ft |
| MLLW | Mean Lower Low Water (chart zero) | 0.0 ft |
Other stations nearby
- Nags Head tides: Jennettes Pier, Nags Head (ocean), average range 3.6 ft, highest predicted tide 4.9 ft on October 1, 2027
- Oregon Inlet tides: OREGON INLET MARINA, average range 0.9 ft, highest predicted tide 1.6 ft on October 1, 2027
- Hatteras tides: CAPE HATTERAS FISHING PIER, average range 3.4 ft, highest predicted tide 4.5 ft on November 25, 2026
- Beaufort tides: Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab, average range 3.5 ft, highest predicted tide 4.5 ft on October 1, 2027
- Wrightsville Beach tides: Wrightsville Beach, average range 4.4 ft, highest predicted tide 5.7 ft on October 1, 2027