Santa Cruz Tide Times & Tide Chart
High and low tide predictions for Santa Cruz, California (NOAA station 9413745). Heights are in feet relative to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) — negative values are minus tides, the best for tidepooling.
Plan a visit — find your tide window →Live tide predictions are temporarily unavailable — open the interactive tide finder for the latest data.
Tidepooling near Santa Cruz
- Natural Bridges State Beach — The reef inside the Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve has easy, family-friendly pools.
- Pleasure Point — The mudstone reef in front of the point drains into wide pools on minus tides between swells.
- Davenport Landing — Pocket beach north of town with rocky shelves on both ends.
What to look for
ochre sea stars, giant green anemones, mossy chitons, hermit crabs, purple sea urchins, nudibranchs.
Best time of year
The lowest daytime tides cluster around new and full moons — early mornings in late spring and summer (May–July), and mid-to-late afternoon during the late-fall and winter king-tide cycles (November–January).
Conditions and access change — check the park's official page and local hazard advisories before you go, and confirm the tide on the day. New to tidepools? Read how to go tidepooling safely.