Matura Bay, Trinidad tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 18:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are America/Port of Spain local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Last spring tide on Tue 19 May (range 1.2m). Next spring tide on Mon 25 May (range 0.7m). Next neap on Sat 23 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Matura Bay lies on Trinidad's north Atlantic coast, roughly halfway between Valencia and Toco, where the Matura River meets the sea across a broad sand beach backed by coconut palms and the first trees of the Matura National Forest. The beach runs for approximately 3.5 kilometres, broad and flat, and the Matura River mouth shifts its position seasonally — moving east or west along the beach face depending on the wet and dry season flow. The surrounding forest is the southern buffer of the Northern Range, and the contrast between the dense tropical canopy visible from the beach and the open Atlantic is one of the distinctive visual experiences of this coast. The tidal regime at Matura is Atlantic-influenced mixed semidiurnal, with a spring range of roughly 1.0 to 1.4 metres — the largest tidal variation on Trinidad's coastline, driven by the full Atlantic signal reaching this exposed north-facing shore. The width of the beach changes noticeably between low and high water; on a spring low the sand flat extends well beyond the normal high-water mark, exposing firm damp sand useful for walking and shore fishing. On a spring high, the sea approaches to within metres of the coconut palms above the beach berm. Matura is one of the most significant leatherback sea turtle nesting beaches in the Caribbean. The Nature Seekers community organisation, established in 1990, patrols and monitors the beach nightly from March through September. In peak season — May through July — nesting counts at Matura regularly exceed 100 turtles per night, placing it alongside Grande Rivière as one of the globally important leatherback nesting sites. Nature Seekers guides control all night beach access during nesting season; independent walking is prohibited and actively enforced. The organisation also runs a hatchery programme for eggs laid in vulnerable positions. The daytime beach at Matura is accessible outside nesting season for general beach use and fishing. The Matura River mouth area, particularly in the dry season when the river is lower and clearer, is a productive area for shore casting and hand-line fishing from the beach. Carite (Spanish mackerel), snapper, and tarpon work the deeper channel where the river current meets the tide. The tarpon — known locally as cuffum — stack in the river mouth pool at certain tide states, particularly on the incoming flood. In the early morning, before the trade wind fills, the beach is an excellent birding location. The forest behind supports a high diversity of Trinidad endemics and forest species that can be observed from the beach edge without entering the tree line. Howler monkeys are audible from the beach in the pre-dawn, and scarlet ibis occasionally fly over the coast en route between their freshwater feeding roosts and the Gulf of Paria. The road to Matura from Valencia is paved but narrow; parking is limited to the road shoulder near the beach access path. There is no dedicated infrastructure — no lifeguard, no kiosk, no facilities. Self-sufficiency is the operating assumption for any visit. Tide predictions for Matura Bay come from Open-Meteo Marine, a global gridded ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height. The Atlantic coast exposure means actual water level is regularly affected by Atlantic swell setup beyond the predicted astronomical tide. The road infrastructure serving Matura Bay is one of the factors that keeps it less visited than it might otherwise be. The Valencia route is the most reliable; the coastal road beyond Toco (proceeding east from Grande Rivière) is often closed by landslips during the wet season. The combination of geographic remoteness and the night-access restrictions during nesting season means Matura rewards advance planning rather than spontaneous visits. The Nature Seekers organisation welcomes visitors who engage with the local guide programme; the income supports both the conservation work and the community.