Santa Cruz tide times

Santa Cruz sits on the California coast of United States. The local tide pattern is broad meso-tide: from the gridded ocean model TideTurtle samples, the seven-day water-level range reaches about 1.8 m, with the bigger swings clustering around new and full moons.

For anyone visiting Santa Cruz — surfers, anglers, paddlers, beach-walkers — the tide chart matters in two ways. First, the time of high or low water decides whether the shoreline is exposed or covered. Second, the rate of rise or fall sets how fast currents move in and out of any inlet, harbour or rivermouth nearby. The page below shows both: the next high and low tide times for today, and the seven-day forecast underneath.

Heights on this page are gridded predictions from the Open-Meteo Marine model, normalised to Mean Sea Level (MSL). They are accurate to within roughly 15-30 cm on most days; on storm-surge days the actual water can run higher than the prediction. For safety-critical planning consult official hydrographic services; for everyday surf, kayak, fishing and walking decisions the chart is enough.

Spring tides — the biggest swings of the lunar cycle — happen around new and full moons (twice a month). Neap tides — the smallest swings — land on the quarter moons. If you want the lowest low tide of the month for tidepooling or sandbar walking at Santa Cruz, look at the seven-day chart for the spring tide.