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Minus Tides A Holiday Highlight on Oregon Coast

Published 11/17/2011

(Oregon Coast) – If you're heading to the coast for Thanksgiving weekend, or early next week, you're in for a tidal treat. Some big minus tides are coming to the Oregon coast November 22 to 24, and they're happening around dusk or just after. (photo above: tide pools on the north coast, taken by Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium).

Tiffany Boothe of Seaside Aquarium noted that in that area, November 22 will have a low tide of minus four inches at 4:05 p.m. November 23 will get to minus one foot at 4:57 a.m. And November 24 will hit a gargantuan minus 1.4 feet at 5:48 p.m.

Tide pool photo by Boothe, Seaside Aquarium

“Winter time is a great time to visit tide pools,” Boothe said. “In the winter the lowest tides are at night, unlike the summer when they are in the morning. The key to tide pooling in the winter is to find a low tide that is just before sunset. Coming up in November on the 22nd, 23rd, and on Thanksgiving, the tides will perfect and are just before sunset.”

All this depends on tidal conditions, however, as winter can produce big surf no matter what the low or high tides are doing. Boothe urges extreme caution when venturing out in these conditions.

Tide pool photo by Boothe, Seaside Aquarium

With dusk around 4:20 p.m., the tides will still be on their way down at that hour. Of course, the lowest points happen after sunset, so you may need some help to see.

“Head lamps or flashlights come in handy when exploring tidal areas at sunset,” Boothe said. “Some wonderful places to view tide pools in the winter are the Cove in Seaside, Indian Beach in Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, and Hug Point.”

Parts of Cape Lookout State Park near Oceanside, parts of Cape Kiwanda at Pacific City, and rocky areas of the central coast like Depoe Bay, Yachats and parts of Newport close to Yaquina Head will also be excellent for tide pooling.

See the Oregon Coast Tide Pools list for a complete guide to all the places with excellent tide pools.

Exact times for low tides will differ from area to area along the coast, so click on the Oregon coast weather page, then click on the individual city you're heading to for tides for that area.

Below: tide pools at Bob Creek, near Yachats

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