Hilton Head tides today
NOAA predicts Port Royal Plantation, on the ocean side of Hilton Head Island, from the Fort Pulaski gauge at the mouth of the Savannah River.
Shaded: night. Green bands: solunar periods (thick = major, thin = minor). Heights in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of NOAA charts.
Hilton Head, SC · Tuesday, October 13
Tide rising, 1.3 ft now
High 10:44 PM
6.3 ft · in 5 h 3 min
| Low | 4:07 AM | 0.7 ft |
| High | 10:31 AM | 7.1 ft |
| Low | 4:48 PM | 1.0 ft |
| High | 10:44 PM | 6.3 ft |
Tide coefficient 101 (average), range 6.4 ft
Sunrise 7:25 AM · sunset 6:52 PM
Waxing crescent, 9% lit · fishing day ★★☆☆
Solunar: major 2:03 AM–4:03 AM, minor 9:53 AM–10:53 AM, major 2:28 PM–4:28 PM, minor 7:59 PM–8:59 PM
Hilton Head tide table, next 7 days
| Day | High tides | Low tides | Coef. | Sun | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:31 AM 7.1 ft · 10:44 PM 6.3 ft | 4:07 AM 0.7 ft · 4:48 PM 1.0 ft | 101 | 7:25 AM–6:52 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 11:11 AM 6.9 ft · 11:27 PM 6.0 ft | 4:44 AM 1.0 ft · 5:28 PM 1.3 ft | 93 | 7:26 AM–6:51 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 11:54 AM 6.6 ft | 5:21 AM 1.3 ft · 6:09 PM 1.7 ft | 84 | 7:26 AM–6:50 PM | Waxing crescent ★★☆☆ | |
| 12:13 AM 5.7 ft · 12:43 PM 6.4 ft | 6:00 AM 1.6 ft · 6:53 PM 2.0 ft | 76 | 7:27 AM–6:49 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:03 AM 5.6 ft · 1:35 PM 6.2 ft | 6:44 AM 1.8 ft · 7:43 PM 2.2 ft | 69 | 7:28 AM–6:48 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 1:55 AM 5.5 ft · 2:28 PM 6.1 ft | 7:36 AM 2.0 ft · 8:37 PM 2.2 ft | 66 | 7:29 AM–6:47 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ | |
| 2:48 AM 5.6 ft · 3:20 PM 6.1 ft | 8:34 AM 2.0 ft · 9:32 PM 2.1 ft | 65 | 7:29 AM–6:45 PM | First quarter ★★☆☆ |
Plan around the tide at Hilton Head
No window of 30 minutes or more below 1.0 ft over the next 7 days in daylight. Try a higher level.
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 Port Royal Plantation, Hilton Head Island (NOAA 8669167). Predicted astronomical tide: wind, river flow and storms can move the real water by a foot or more. 6.3 ft is the average daily range here.
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
Tide times for Hilton Head come from the National Ocean Service prediction for station 8669167, Port Royal Plantation, Hilton Head Island, a subordinate station whose highs and lows NOAA corrects from Fort Pulaski, Savannah River Entrance. 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 6.3 ft. Around the new and full moon the range grows to about 7.9 ft on one day in ten, and at the quarter moons it shrinks to 4.8 ft. Heights are in feet above Mean Lower Low Water, the zero of nautical charts, so a negative number is water below that zero: 167 of the 457 days from October 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 have one, down to -1.8 ft on January 23, 2027. The highest predicted tide of that period is 7.8 ft on October 27, 2026. Clock times are Eastern Time, daylight saving time included.
A big tide on a wide beach
Hilton Head's beaches face the Atlantic at the bottom of the Georgia Bight, where the tide is among the largest on the southeastern coast: 6.3 ft on an average day, 7.9 ft on spring tides. The station at Port Royal Plantation, near the island's north end, is computed from Fort Pulaski: high water one minute later, low water 11 minutes earlier, high-water heights at 88 percent. On a beach this flat, low tide exposes a broad expanse of hard-packed sand, which is why the island is known for cycling on the beach.
Broad Creek, Skull Creek and Calibogue Sound
Inside the island, the tide arrives later. NOAA predicts Broad Creek, which cuts deep into the island, from Fort Pulaski with high water 33 minutes later and heights 8 percent larger, and the south entrance of Skull Creek 34 minutes later. Pinckney Island on Mackay Creek runs 36 minutes later. The marinas and creek ramps follow those times rather than the beach's. Skull Creek's north entrance has its own reference station.
Dolphins and the falling tide
In the creeks around the island, falling tides concentrate fish in the channels, and the bottlenose dolphins of the Lowcountry take advantage of it. Shell hunters prefer the hour around low water on the beach, especially on the lowest days: -1.8 ft is predicted for January 23, 2027. See Tybee Island across Calibogue Sound and the Savannah River.
Highest and lowest tides at Hilton Head, 2026 to 2027
The six highest highs and six lowest lows predicted for Port Royal Plantation, Hilton Head Island 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 27, 2026 | 9:16 AM | 7.8 ft |
| October 1, 2027 | 9:37 AM | 7.8 ft |
| September 30, 2027 | 8:49 AM | 7.8 ft |
| October 28, 2026 | 10:06 AM | 7.8 ft |
| October 29, 2027 | 8:28 AM | 7.8 ft |
| November 25, 2026 | 8:01 AM | 7.8 ft |
| Lowest lows | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2027 | 2:11 AM | -1.8 ft |
| January 24, 2027 | 3:03 AM | -1.8 ft |
| February 21, 2027 | 1:56 AM | -1.7 ft |
| February 22, 2027 | 2:46 AM | -1.6 ft |
| January 22, 2027 | 1:17 AM | -1.6 ft |
| January 25, 2027 | 3:54 AM | -1.5 ft |
A subordinate station
NOAA predicts Port Royal Plantation, Hilton Head Island from the reference station Fort Pulaski, Savannah River Entrance (8670870): high water 1 minutes later, low water 11 minutes earlier, heights multiplied by 0.88 at high water and 1 at low water. Between those highs and lows the curve on this page follows the shape of the reference station's hourly curve.
Other stations nearby
- Folly Beach tides: Folly River Bridge, Folly Island, average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 7.0 ft on October 1, 2027
- Charleston tides: CHARLESTON (Customhouse Wharf), average range 5.6 ft, highest predicted tide 6.9 ft on October 1, 2027
- Myrtle Beach tides: Springmaid Pier, Myrtle beach, average range 5.3 ft, highest predicted tide 6.9 ft on October 1, 2027