Minus tides at Gloucester
The lowest predicted waters at Gloucester, through 2030. The days each year when the sea goes furthest out.
What a minus tide is
Tide heights are measured from a datum — here MLLW — which is roughly the average of the lower low waters. Most low tides sit a little above it. A few times a year one falls below, and the height is printed as a negative number: a minus tide.
They happen on the same days as the king tides, and for the same reason. When the sun and moon pull together the water comes up further than usual, and it also goes out further than usual. The big high and the big low are six hours apart on the same day.
A foot below datum does not sound like much. On a shallow shore it can mean a few hundred yards of ground uncovered that nobody sees the rest of the year.
What to do at low water at Gloucester
A nine-foot range uncovers serious ground here. Crane Beach and the Essex marshes go out a long way, and clamming is a Massachusetts institution, licensed town by town with rules that differ across a parish boundary.
The rocky stretches at Rockport, Halibut Point and Marblehead hold pools that come out on the bigger lows. Everything at Halibut Point sits over a granite shelf that is worth seeing for itself.
Minus tides still to come
23–27 December 2026
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 23 DecWed | 3:33 am | 0.3 ft |
| 23 DecWed | 4:21 pm | -1.2 ft |
| 24 DecThu | 4:26 am | 0.0 ft |
| 24 DecThu | 5:14 pm | -1.5 ft |
| 25 DecFri | 5:19 am | -0.2 ft |
| 25 DecFri | 6:06 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 26 DecSat | 6:14 am | -0.4 ft |
| 26 DecSat | 6:58 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 27 DecSun | 7:09 am | -0.4 ft |
| 27 DecSun | 7:50 pm | -1.4 ft |
21–25 January 2027
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 21 JanThu | 3:16 am | 0.2 ft |
| 21 JanThu | 4:06 pm | -1.3 ft |
| 22 JanFri | 4:13 am | -0.3 ft |
| 22 JanFri | 4:58 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 23 JanSat | 5:08 am | -0.6 ft |
| 23 JanSat | 5:48 pm | -1.8 ft |
| 24 JanSun | 6:01 am | -0.9 ft |
| 24 JanSun | 6:37 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 25 JanMon | 6:55 am | -1.0 ft |
| 25 JanMon | 7:26 pm | -1.5 ft |
19–23 February 2027
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 19 FebFri | 3:04 am | 0.0 ft |
| 19 FebFri | 3:49 pm | -1.1 ft |
| 20 FebSat | 4:01 am | -0.5 ft |
| 20 FebSat | 4:40 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 21 FebSun | 4:55 am | -0.9 ft |
| 21 FebSun | 5:28 pm | -1.5 ft |
| 22 FebMon | 5:47 am | -1.1 ft |
| 22 FebMon | 6:14 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 23 FebTue | 6:37 am | -1.2 ft |
| 23 FebTue | 7:00 pm | -1.1 ft |
2–6 August 2027
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 2 AugMon | 5:29 am | -1.0 ft |
| 2 AugMon | 5:39 pm | -0.2 ft |
| 3 AugTue | 6:20 am | -1.3 ft |
| 3 AugTue | 6:33 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 4 AugWed | 7:10 am | -1.4 ft |
| 4 AugWed | 7:27 pm | -0.8 ft |
| 5 AugThu | 7:58 am | -1.3 ft |
| 5 AugThu | 8:21 pm | -0.9 ft |
| 6 AugFri | 8:47 am | -1.0 ft |
| 6 AugFri | 9:15 pm | -0.7 ft |
12–16 January 2028
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 12 JanWed | 4:30 am | 0.0 ft |
| 12 JanWed | 5:14 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 13 JanThu | 5:22 am | -0.4 ft |
| 13 JanThu | 6:02 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 14 JanFri | 6:14 am | -0.7 ft |
| 14 JanFri | 6:51 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 15 JanSat | 7:08 am | -0.9 ft |
| 15 JanSat | 7:40 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 16 JanSun | 8:03 am | -1.0 ft |
| 16 JanSun | 8:31 pm | -1.3 ft |
10–14 February 2028
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 10 FebThu | 4:14 am | -0.5 ft |
| 10 FebThu | 4:53 pm | -1.5 ft |
| 11 FebFri | 5:07 am | -1.0 ft |
| 11 FebFri | 5:41 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 12 FebSat | 5:59 am | -1.4 ft |
| 12 FebSat | 6:29 pm | -1.8 ft |
| 13 FebSun | 6:52 am | -1.6 ft |
| 13 FebSun | 7:17 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 14 FebMon | 7:45 am | -1.5 ft |
| 14 FebMon | 8:06 pm | -1.2 ft |
11–15 March 2028
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 11 MarSat | 4:51 am | -1.4 ft |
| 11 MarSat | 5:17 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 12 MarSun | 6:43 am | -1.7 ft |
| 12 MarSun | 7:04 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 13 MarMon | 7:34 am | -1.8 ft |
| 13 MarMon | 7:52 pm | -1.1 ft |
| 14 MarTue | 8:25 am | -1.6 ft |
| 14 MarTue | 8:40 pm | -0.7 ft |
| 15 MarWed | 9:17 am | -1.2 ft |
| 15 MarWed | 9:31 pm | -0.1 ft |
30 March – 3 April 2029
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 30 MarFri | 5:48 am | -1.5 ft |
| 30 MarFri | 6:08 pm | -1.1 ft |
| 31 MarSat | 6:39 am | -1.9 ft |
| 31 MarSat | 6:56 pm | -1.1 ft |
| 1 AprSun | 7:30 am | -2.0 ft |
| 1 AprSun | 7:45 pm | -0.9 ft |
| 2 AprMon | 8:23 am | -1.8 ft |
| 2 AprMon | 8:37 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 3 AprTue | 9:17 am | -1.4 ft |
| 3 AprTue | 9:31 pm | -0.2 ft |
27 April – 1 May 2029
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 27 AprFri | 4:37 am | -1.1 ft |
| 27 AprFri | 4:53 pm | -0.5 ft |
| 28 AprSat | 5:30 am | -1.6 ft |
| 28 AprSat | 5:43 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 29 AprSun | 6:21 am | -1.8 ft |
| 29 AprSun | 6:34 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 30 AprMon | 7:13 am | -1.8 ft |
| 30 AprMon | 7:25 pm | -0.4 ft |
| 1 MayTue | 8:05 am | -1.5 ft |
| 1 MayTue | 8:17 pm | -0.1 ft |
5–9 November 2029
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5 NovMon | 3:24 am | -0.3 ft |
| 5 NovMon | 4:02 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 6 NovTue | 4:14 am | -0.5 ft |
| 6 NovTue | 4:53 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 7 NovWed | 5:04 am | -0.5 ft |
| 7 NovWed | 5:45 pm | -1.9 ft |
| 8 NovThu | 5:56 am | -0.5 ft |
| 8 NovThu | 6:37 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 9 NovFri | 6:48 am | -0.3 ft |
| 9 NovFri | 7:31 pm | -1.4 ft |
18–22 April 2030
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 18 AprThu | 5:47 am | -1.3 ft |
| 18 AprThu | 6:02 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 19 AprFri | 6:37 am | -1.6 ft |
| 19 AprFri | 6:51 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 20 AprSat | 7:28 am | -1.8 ft |
| 20 AprSat | 7:41 pm | -0.6 ft |
| 21 AprSun | 8:21 am | -1.7 ft |
| 21 AprSun | 8:34 pm | -0.4 ft |
| 22 AprMon | 9:16 am | -1.4 ft |
| 22 AprMon | 9:31 pm | -0.1 ft |
25–29 November 2030
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 25 NovMon | 4:11 am | -0.2 ft |
| 25 NovMon | 4:53 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 26 NovTue | 5:02 am | -0.4 ft |
| 26 NovTue | 5:44 pm | -1.8 ft |
| 27 NovWed | 5:54 am | -0.5 ft |
| 27 NovWed | 6:36 pm | -1.8 ft |
| 28 NovThu | 6:48 am | -0.5 ft |
| 28 NovThu | 7:29 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 29 NovFri | 7:44 am | -0.4 ft |
| 29 NovFri | 8:24 pm | -1.3 ft |
24–28 December 2030
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 24 DecTue | 3:51 am | -0.3 ft |
| 24 DecTue | 4:37 pm | -1.6 ft |
| 25 DecWed | 4:45 am | -0.6 ft |
| 25 DecWed | 5:29 pm | -1.9 ft |
| 26 DecThu | 5:39 am | -0.7 ft |
| 26 DecThu | 6:20 pm | -1.9 ft |
| 27 DecFri | 6:33 am | -0.8 ft |
| 27 DecFri | 7:12 pm | -1.7 ft |
| 28 DecSat | 7:28 am | -0.7 ft |
| 28 DecSat | 8:03 pm | -1.4 ft |
Minus tides already past
2–6 January 2026
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 2 JanFri | 3:18 am | 0.2 ft |
| 2 JanFri | 4:08 pm | -1.3 ft |
| 3 JanSat | 4:14 am | 0.0 ft |
| 3 JanSat | 5:02 pm | -1.5 ft |
| 4 JanSun | 5:08 am | -0.2 ft |
| 4 JanSun | 5:53 pm | -1.5 ft |
| 5 JanMon | 6:01 am | -0.2 ft |
| 5 JanMon | 6:43 pm | -1.4 ft |
| 6 JanTue | 6:54 am | -0.2 ft |
| 6 JanTue | 7:32 pm | -1.1 ft |
16–20 May 2026
| Date | Low water | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 16 MaySat | 5:13 am | -0.9 ft |
| 16 MaySat | 5:22 pm | 0.2 ft |
| 17 MaySun | 6:04 am | -1.3 ft |
| 17 MaySun | 6:11 pm | 0.0 ft |
| 18 MayMon | 6:55 am | -1.5 ft |
| 18 MayMon | 7:03 pm | 0.0 ft |
| 19 MayTue | 7:48 am | -1.5 ft |
| 19 MayTue | 7:57 pm | 0.1 ft |
| 20 MayWed | 8:42 am | -1.3 ft |
| 20 MayWed | 8:53 pm | 0.2 ft |
Going out safely
The water comes back. Work out when the tide turns before you walk out to anything, and allow more time than the return trip took — a rising tide fills channels behind you before it reaches where you are standing.
Wet rock is slippery, and what is exposed at a minus tide has been underwater long enough to be covered in weed. Anything living out there is usually protected by state or local rules; look it up before taking any of it home.