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Dig out your waders and grab your cameras —  the king tides are coming!

This year’s king tides will roll in during high tide on Thursday morning — anywhere from 10:05 to 10:50 a.m. — and continue through Friday, though high-than-usual tides are still expected through Saturday morning.

If you’re new to the coast and/or you’ve no idea what these regal waves entail, king tides are the super-high tides that occur when the Earth, Moon and Sun align just so during a new or full moon, resulting in some of the biggest waves of the year. Estimates from the California King Tides Project indicate that this year’s king tides will exceed 9.85 feet in some areas — about 1.5 feet higher than average high tide — and bring flooding to low-lying areas around Humboldt Bay.

This is where you come in! Each year, the California Coastal Commission asks coastal dwellers to document the king tides to help the local and state officials get a clearer picture of what sea level rise is going to look like around the bay in the coming decades. If you feel compelled, head on out to one of the spots on the map below and snap a few pictures of the sea in the name of science. You’ll want to be a little extra cautious with extra high tides. 

If you’d rather go with a group, Friends of the Arcata Marsh will host its annual king tides tour on Friday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to noon. Meet the hosts on South I Street in the first gravel parking lot in from Samoa Boulevard. More information on documenting king tides can be found in the California Coastal Commission’s press release below.

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We need your help to photograph the King Tides, the highest projected tides of the year. Your photos create a record of changes to our shoreline while helping us understand what’s vulnerable to flooding now and how sea level rise will impact California in the future. The next dates for the California King Tides Project are December 4 & 5, 2025, and December 6 in southern California and some northern California locations. The final King Tides of the season will be January 2 & 3, 2026.

Find your King Tide dates and times by looking at the pin on our tide map that’s closed to where you would like to photograph. Try to take your photos within a half hour of peak high tide, and above all else, make sure you’re safe when you do it.

Learn how to take and upload your photos.

Browse King Tide photos on our photo map and on the California King Tides Project website.

Tips:

• Have Location Services ON for your camera app so we can accurately map your photo. (If you never turned it off, it’s probably on.)
• Include something immobile in your photo, like access stairs, a bluff, a seawall, a pier, or something else that will help show the water level.
• Photos of roadways flooded by tidal water are helpful too.
• Shorebirds may be higher up than usual during king tides - try not to disturb wildlife while taking your photo.
• Post a King Tides Project flyer to help spread the word.

We’re hosting a webinar on Dec.2, from 12:00 p.m. -12:30 p.m., to learn about the King Tides Project and how to participate, including more tips on how to take a great king tides photo. Register here. (Attendance is not required to participate in the project.)