California lowest low tides

The lowest predicted low tides at every Great Tides place, in one place. These are the top-10 low tides at each place over October 19, 2026 to January 16, 2027, ranked by predicted height — the dates the sea falls furthest from the shore, in daylight or after dark.

Every entry below is a minus tide (at or below 0.0 ft), and every place's number one falls on the same day — Thursday, December 24, 2026, in the December King Tides window — in the afternoon or evening. That timing is the catch: the very lowest lows of this season mostly fall near or after sunset, so for a visit you can actually see, the daylight low tides page ranks the daylight subset, and the minus tides page lists every minus tide in date order. Each place is ranked only against its own tides; predicted heights are local to each station and are not directly interchangeable between places.

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Lowest low tide at each place

Times are local station time; heights are relative to each place's own MLLW datum, so rows are ranked within each place, not against each other.

Lowest low tides at Crescent City

The ten lowest predicted low tides at Crescent City (CRESCENT CITY station 9419750) in the window, lowest first, whether they fall in daylight or after dark. The rest of this place's rankings, including its daylight and weekend daylight lows, are on its place page.

Lowest low tides at Half Moon Bay

The ten lowest predicted low tides at Half Moon Bay (Pillar Point Harbor station 9414131) in the window, lowest first, whether they fall in daylight or after dark. The rest of this place's rankings, including its daylight and weekend daylight lows, are on its place page.

Lowest low tides at Santa Cruz

The ten lowest predicted low tides at Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay station 9413745) in the window, lowest first, whether they fall in daylight or after dark. The rest of this place's rankings, including its daylight and weekend daylight lows, are on its place page.

Lowest low tides at Port San Luis & Avila Beach

The ten lowest predicted low tides at Port San Luis & Avila Beach (PORT SAN LUIS station 9412110) in the window, lowest first, whether they fall in daylight or after dark. The rest of this place's rankings, including its daylight and weekend daylight lows, are on its place page.

Lowest low tides at La Jolla

The ten lowest predicted low tides at La Jolla (La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) station 9410230) in the window, lowest first, whether they fall in daylight or after dark. The rest of this place's rankings, including its daylight and weekend daylight lows, are on its place page.

Questions

What is a minus tide?

A low tide predicted to fall at or below 0.0 ft relative to MLLW (mean lower low water), the chart datum. Every tide on this page is a minus tide: the top ten at each place all fall below zero, and the lowest of all — Crescent City, December 24, 2026 — reaches about −2.0 ft. Minus tides expose the lowest, richest band of the intertidal zone.

Why do the lowest lows fall in the afternoon or evening here?

On the California coast the two daily low tides are unequal, and which of them is the lower one shifts with the seasons: in this October-to-January window the lower lows cluster in the afternoon and evening, which is why every place's lowest low above falls between mid-afternoon and early evening. Several still fall before sunset and make excellent tidepooling; the rest fall after dark.

Is the lowest low the best tidepooling time?

Only if it falls in daylight. The intertidal zone is exposed whenever the tide is out, but it is only practical to explore in daylight, so the daylight low tides page — the daylight subset of these rankings — is usually the more useful list for planning a visit. A daylight low of 1.5 ft or lower is a good tidepooling window; at or below 0.0 ft it is an excellent one.

Are these the actual water levels I will see?

No. These are astronomical predictions from NOAA CO-OPS. Wind, storms and air pressure push real water levels above or below the prediction, sometimes by a foot or more. Check the local forecast and conditions before you go, and do not use these predictions for navigation.

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