Tides
High Tides Ahead: Where San Diego's Coast Feels It This Week
· 7 min read
Six-foot morning tides peak Nov. 8. Here's what that means for the COASTER tracks, the Del Mar bluffs, the beachfront homes and the beaches that disappear, plus how to watch safely.
Every few weeks the moon and sun pull hard enough that San Diego's ocean reaches noticeably higher up the shore. This week is one of those windows. From Friday, November 6 through Thursday, November 12, 2026, the morning high tides run near or above 6 feet. They peak on Sunday, November 8 at 7:42 a.m., at 6.08 ft in La Jolla and 6.62 ft inside San Diego Bay.
On a calm day that mostly means a skinnier beach. But add a west swell or a passing storm and those same tides send water to the base of the bluffs, over low seawalls and right up to the railroad tracks. Here's where to look, what to expect and how to plan your coast days around it.
The high tides, day by day
NOAA predictions, San Diego local time, feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
| Date | Morning high | La Jolla (9410230) | San Diego Bay (9410170) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 6 | ~6:50 a.m. | 5.76 ft | 6.32 ft |
| Sat, Nov 7 | ~7:16 a.m. | 5.97 ft | 6.53 ft |
| Sun, Nov 8 | ~7:42 a.m. | 6.08 ft (peak) | 6.62 ft (peak) |
| Mon, Nov 9 | ~8:07 a.m. | 6.07 ft | 6.58 ft |
| Tue, Nov 10 | ~8:33 a.m. | 5.97 ft | 6.44 ft |
| Wed, Nov 11 | ~9:01 a.m. | 5.79 ft | 6.22 ft |
| Thu, Nov 12 | ~9:31 a.m. | 5.54 ft | 5.94 ft |
Each evening there's a smaller second high tide of about 3.3–4.7 ft. The mornings are the ones to watch. Check the San Diego tide calendar for exact times at your beach. These are predictions: actual water levels can run higher with swell, wind or low pressure.
The COASTER and the Del Mar bluffs
The rail line between Solana Beach and Torrey Pines runs along the top of the Del Mar bluffs, just a few feet from the edge in places. It carries the COASTER and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner. High tides don't threaten the tracks by themselves. The trouble is waves hitting the base of the bluff at high tide, which wears it away from below. Bluff failures here have led to emergency repairs and temporary service changes in recent years.
What to do: if you ride the COASTER this week, check NCTD service alerts before you go. Never walk on or beside the tracks, and stay off the bluff-top trail edge. The ground can be undercut where you can't see it.
Bluffs in Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas
From Del Mar to Leucadia, the cliffs are soft sandstone. During high tides, waves reach their base for hours at a time, and blocks can break off without warning, including on sunny days.
- Don't sit, lay a towel or play at the base of a bluff, especially around high tide.
- Keep back from the edge up top. Many cliff collapses happen from above.
- Stairways like Beacon's, Stone Steps and Grandview can be cut off by water at the bottom near the peak tides.
Homes and seawalls right at the water
Some neighborhoods sit only a few feet above the sea. Watch for:
- Mission Beach boardwalk: at high tide with surf, water and sand can spill over the low seawall onto the walkway.
- Ocean Beach: big spray off the Abbott Street and Newport Avenue seawalls is fun to see, but those waves can knock you off your feet.
- Imperial Beach: homes and seawalls along Seacoast Drive take the full force of the water. Walkways and street ends can flood.
- Cardiff State Beach / Highway 101: waves can push sand and cobbles onto the lot and road shoulder.
Beaches that disappear at high tide
At 6 feet, some narrow beaches simply aren't there for an hour or two:
- Black's Beach and Torrey Pines walk-arounds: the points between beaches go under. Time any long walk on a falling tide.
- Windansea and the La Jolla coves: the sand shrinks to a sliver, and surges can wash over the reef.
- Sunset Cliffs pocket beaches: these can be completely covered. Don't climb down to them near the peak.
How to enjoy (and photograph) the high tides safely
- Go a little before the peak and watch from somewhere high and dry: a pier entrance, a bluff-top park set back from the edge, or the top of a stairway.
- Never turn your back on the ocean. Waves come in sets, and the seventh one is often bigger.
- Skip the water for about 72 hours after any rain. Runoff raises bacteria levels. Check water quality first.
- Plan tide-pool trips for later in the month. High tides like these usually come with very low tides in between. See the tide-pooling calendar.
- Share what you see: the California King Tides Project collects photos to help plan for sea-level rise.
For more on the biggest tides of the year, read the king tides guide. For storm-surf days, see the big-surf guide.
The images in this post are AI-made pictures of the kinds of scenes these tides can create. They are not photos from this week.
Frequently asked
- When is the highest tide this week in San Diego?
- Sunday, November 8, 2026, around 7:42 a.m., when NOAA predicts 6.08 ft at La Jolla and 6.62 ft in San Diego Bay.
- Will the COASTER be affected by the high tides?
- High tides alone don't usually stop the trains. But waves at high tide can wear away the Del Mar bluffs under the tracks, so check NCTD service alerts before you ride.
- Is it safe to walk below the bluffs at high tide?
- No. Waves reach the base of the bluffs, which can collapse without warning, and narrow beaches can trap you. Walk on a falling tide and stay back from both the bottom and the top of the cliffs.
- Are these king tides?
- They're strong tides, but not the peak of the season. The biggest king tides usually come in December and January. See our king tides guide for those dates.
