What's New with Oregon Coast and Washington Coast King Tides 2025

Published 10/20/25 at 7:05 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Bandon, Oregon) – King Tides are ready to rule again. They are coming up for both the Oregon coast and the Washington coast – and both regions need your help.  (Above: Seal Rock is inundated by massive tides, photo King Tides / Steve Derr).

On the Oregon coast, King Tide dates are: November 5 - 7, 2025; December 4 -6, 2025; and January 1 - 4, 2026.

On the Washington coast, King Tide dates are: November 5 - 7; December 4 - 6; and January 2 - 4 for Westport, La Push and South Bend areas. Ilwaco, Washington is slightly different with the final tide dates as January 1 - 3.

Oregon Coast Beach Connection is waiting for clarification on how far up the Long Beach Peninsula the dates are different.

King Tides events also happen along the interior seas of Washington, with slightly different dates for Seattle, Port Angeles, Bellingham, Olympia and Shelton.

Much is still the same with previous tidal events: they need volunteers to photograph the high tides for scientific purposes. Upload your photos to the MyCoast app or website for Washington, and in Oregon it's the Oregon King Tides site. They're also hoping to get more from a wider variety of areas.

What's new about King Tides on the Oregon coast and Washington coast?

Plenty. There is again a photo contest (with prizes), but there are new categories and even viewing parties.

Rhiannon Bezore, with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, heads up the Oregon King Tides Project.

Arizona Beach near Port Orford / Wanda Blanton, King Tides Project

She said there are the usual categories this year: Coastal Flooding, Coastal Erosion and Wave Action, Impacts on Bays and Estuaries, and Comparison Shots.

“And Youth Photographers, which is a new category for participants under 18 as part of our education outreach with Oregon Shores,” Bezore told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

The annual King Tides Photo Contest happens again this winter with that new youth category – along with the usual help the group needs to suss out erosion and sea level rise due to climate change.

Cannon Beach - King Tides / Kerry Burg

“The Oregon Visitors Association will be contributing e-gift cards for the winner of each category for use on their online merchandise shop,” Bezore said. “We will also be holding viewing parties with Oregon Sea Grant for each king tide series, with dates and location to be announced.”

Sea rise is inevitable and both the Oregon coast and Washington coastline are susceptible. Proof of that even now is the greater erosion taking place at areas around Gleneden Beach in Oregon and North Cove in Washington (which is essentially disappearing).

Bezore said these give scientists and policymakers a chance to identify areas already susceptible to flooding and erosion that may need more attention in the future under higher sea levels.

“Our highest tide water levels now may be normal high tide levels in the future,” Bezore said.

What Photographs Do They Need?

There are quite a few areas the king tides group would like to get more photographs from. Bezore said the majority of shots come from a few key locations, especially Depoe Bay and Shore Acres. They need more photos of...well...just about anywhere that isn't the big rocky spot attractions like those.

“So really anywhere that isn’t either of those two places would be great to fill in gaps,” she said. “They are understandably very popular places due to the dramatic waves, there are other great places to safely view king tide impacts like coastal flooding and erosion too, such as Fort Stevens and Cannon Beach.”

What You Should Expect

A fair amount of time, king tides really do come through as winter storms combine with them to create some wild fury. This has happened a lot in recent years. However, almost as often, the events can be real duds. Don't always expect a wild show.

Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather  - Inland Oregon Weather Note: Go to Individual Weather Links in these pages to see 7-day wave predictions

There are other misnomers about King Tides. Big storms and large wave action in winter are not king tides. They are often separate events.

The question often gets asked: What's the Difference Between King Tides and Oregon / Washington Coast Storm Wave Events? The answer to that is in the article.

Also, don't go to places like Cape Disappointment or Coos Bay's Shore Acres and expect a big show each king tide. That is also explained in the link.

Safety First

Bezore and the Washington King Tides organizers want to make sure you stay safe as well.

“As always, we emphasize that anyone viewing king tides and visiting the coast should follow safety precautions such as viewing the tides from a safe distance, not turning their back on the water, and staying clear of logs and woody debris,” Bezore said.

How to submit your photos? On the Washington coast, submit them to https://mycoast.org/wa. On the Oregon coast, submit them to www.oregonkingtides.net or the project’s Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/orkingtide/albums.

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