Simple Tides / Guides / Bellingham Tides

Bellingham Tide Chart

Bellingham — the gateway to the San Juan Islands — sees an eight-to-ten-foot mixed semidiurnal tide that rips through the island passes and sets every boater’s and angler’s schedule.

The pattern

Two unequal highs and two unequal lows daily with eight to ten feet of range — bigger inside the islands than on the outer coast. The mixed pattern makes one daily high tower over the other, and the spring tides move enormous volumes through the narrow passes.

Islands boating

The San Juans are a tidal boater’s puzzle: passes like Rosario and Haro run several knots on the big exchanges. Time the passes with the current tables, not just the tide table — slack is the window. Bellingham Bay itself is the staging ground.

Salmon and crab

The islands’ reefs and kelp edges hold salmon, lingcod, and spot shrimp; Dungeness crab pots soak the bays. Tidal current concentrates bait — and fish — at the points and rips. For the region, see our Pacific Northwest tide guide.