Carlsbad Tidepool Calendar

In general, tide pool viewing in Carlsbad is best when the tide is negative -0.3′ or more. The reefs and pools begin appearing as the tide goes negative, and gets better and better the more negative the tide goes. The chart below shows the peak low-tide days and times – so plan on getting there 30 minutes before and staying 30 minutes after to get a full hour of tide pool exploring.

To keep our tide pools healthy, please don’t touch or move anything while observing these amazing windows into the ocean ecosystem. Also be careful walking to prevent slipping or damaging any of the living plants and animals.

Wave height is also super important. If the waves are large, then the tide pool viewing becomes more difficult and can be extremely dangerous. So make sure you watch for larger sets of waves rolling in and see if they are washing over the tide pools area before venturing out too far. Watching what others are doing is also helpful.