Simple Tides / Guides / Monterey Tides

Monterey Tide Chart

Monterey Bay runs on the West Coast’s signature mixed semidiurnal tide — two unequal highs and two unequal lows a day — and it quietly choreographs everything from slough kayaking to the salmon bite.

The pattern

Plan on five to six feet of range, with the mixed pattern making one daily high clearly taller than the other. The biggest exchanges of the month arrive with the spring tides around full and new moons — that is when the bay’s currents run hardest and the tide pools at Asilomar are at their best.

Elkhorn Slough and kayaking

Just up the coast, Elkhorn Slough is one of California’s great paddle destinations, and it is entirely tide-driven: ride the flood in with the otters and harbor seals, and ride the ebb back out. Fighting the current both ways is the classic beginner mistake — check the table first.

Fishing and whale watching

The bay’s deep canyon fuels everything from krill to blue whales, and the salmon and halibut bite often keys on the tide change. Cannery Row and the municipal wharf are easy shore access. For the wider coast, see our Central & Northern California tide guide.