Guide
Spring and neap tides
Twice a month the tides run big, and twice a month they run small. The moon decides which.
- 3 min read
- Dates for 10 beach towns
- From NOAA predictions
- Spring tidesA day or two after the new and full moon: the highest highs and lowest lows.
- Neap tidesAfter the quarter moons: the smallest difference between high and low.
- Every two weeksThe cycle repeats about every 14.8 days, all year. It has nothing to do with spring the season.
Why it happens
The sun and the moon both pull on the oceans, and the moon pulls more than twice as hard because it is so close. When the two line up, at the new moon and the full moon, their pulls add up: the water piles higher on the sides of the Earth facing them and drains lower in between. That makes spring tides, from an old sense of “springing up”.
A week later the moon has moved a quarter of the way round. Now the sun pulls at a right angle to the moon, spreading the water instead of piling it: the range shrinks. These are neap tides.
The difference between each day’s highest and lowest tide, from NOAA predictions. Moon icons mark the new, quarter and full moons; the dark bars are the spring tides, the light ones the neaps.
Why the dates below aren’t the moon dates
The oceans take time to respond, so the biggest tides usually come a day or two after the new or full moon, and the smallest a day or two after the quarters. The dates for each town are taken from its own predictions: the day with the biggest or smallest range near each moon phase.
Coming spring and neap tides
- Myrtle BeachSouth CarolinaNeap Nov 34.9 ft rangeSpring Nov 85.9 ft rangeNeap Nov 163.6 ft rangeSpring Nov 267.4 ft range
- Hilton Head IslandSouth CarolinaNeap Nov 35.9 ft rangeSpring Nov 86.9 ft rangeNeap Nov 164.4 ft rangeSpring Nov 258.4 ft range
- Lincoln CityOregonNeap Oct 313.8 ft rangeSpring Nov 97.6 ft rangeNeap Nov 172.5 ft rangeSpring Nov 259.5 ft range
- SanibelFloridaNeap Nov 41.7 ft rangeSpring Nov 103.4 ft rangeNeap Nov 191.6 ft rangeSpring Nov 254.3 ft range
- ChincoteagueVirginiaNeap Nov 31.5 ft rangeSpring Nov 91.9 ft rangeNeap Nov 181.2 ft rangeSpring Nov 262.4 ft range
- Cape MayNew JerseyNeap Nov 34.6 ft rangeSpring Nov 85.4 ft rangeNeap Nov 173.4 ft rangeSpring Nov 256.7 ft range
- Tybee IslandGeorgiaNeap Nov 36.7 ft rangeSpring Nov 87.8 ft rangeNeap Nov 175.1 ft rangeSpring Nov 259.4 ft range
- Fernandina BeachFloridaNeap Nov 25.9 ft rangeSpring Nov 86.9 ft rangeNeap Nov 174.5 ft rangeSpring Nov 258.2 ft range
- Surf CityNorth CarolinaNeap Nov 44.3 ft rangeSpring Nov 95.3 ft rangeNeap Nov 173.2 ft rangeSpring Nov 256.8 ft range
- St. Augustine BeachFloridaNeap Nov 34.6 ft rangeSpring Nov 85.5 ft rangeNeap Nov 163.4 ft rangeSpring Nov 257.0 ft range
What it means on the beach
- Spring tides uncover the most beach at low tide: the best days for tide pools and shelling, and the strongest currents in inlets.
- Neap tides bring gentler currents and a steadier beach all day: often the easier days for kayaking and wading.
- The very biggest spring tides of the year are the king tides.
More guides
All guides- King tidesWhat king tides are, why they come in winter and summer, and the dates of the highest predicted tides of the next 12 months at each beach.Read the guide
- The best tide for fishingWhy moving water fishes better than slack tide, incoming versus outgoing, and this week’s days with the strongest tides at each beach town.Read the guide
- The best tide for shellingWhy shelling is best on a low tide, especially a minus tide after a new or full moon, and the lowest daylight tides of the next three months.Read the guide
Tides for your beach
Today’s tides, the week ahead and a printable calendar for every month, with the water temperature.