The lowest predicted waters at Kouchibouguac, through 2028. The days each year when the sea goes furthest out.
What a minus tide is
Tide heights are measured from a datum — here Chart Datum —
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 Kouchibouguac
The lagoons and barrier dunes at Kouchibouguac come out at low water, and the sandbars offshore are where the grey seals haul out. Kellys Beach's boardwalk crosses the lagoon to a barrier island that is a different place at each end of the tide.
Oyster and clam harvesting are both significant here and both regulated. The Acadian coast's oysters have a name worth the trip; check the current closures before taking any.
Minus tides still to come
4–8 June 2027
Date
Low water
Height
4 JunFri
1:39 pm
0.1 m
5 JunSat
2:32 pm
0.1 m
6 JunSun
3:22 pm
0.0 m
7 JunMon
4:11 pm
0.0 m
8 JunTue
4:56 pm
0.1 m
2–6 July 2027
Date
Low water
Height
2 JulFri
12:53 pm
0.1 m
3 JulSat
1:38 pm
0.1 m
4 JulSun
2:20 pm
0.1 m
5 JulMon
3:01 pm
0.1 m
6 JulTue
3:40 pm
0.1 m
6 JulTue
11:45 pm
0.4 m
13–17 December 2027
Date
Low water
Height
13 DecMon
12:27 am
0.1 m
14 DecTue
1:13 am
0.1 m
15 DecWed
1:59 am
0.1 m
16 DecThu
2:43 am
0.1 m
17 DecFri
3:24 am
0.1 m
5–9 June 2028
Date
Low water
Height
5 JunMon
12:31 pm
0.1 m
6 JunTue
1:28 pm
0.1 m
7 JunWed
2:21 pm
0.1 m
8 JunThu
3:10 pm
0.1 m
9 JunFri
3:56 pm
0.1 m
16–20 November 2028
Date
Low water
Height
16 NovThu
8:31 am
0.4 m
17 NovFri
12:50 am
0.1 m
18 NovSat
1:47 am
0.0 m
19 NovSun
2:43 am
0.1 m
20 NovMon
3:36 am
0.1 m
15–18 December 2028
Date
Low water
Height
15 DecFri
12:06 am
0.1 m
16 DecSat
12:57 am
0.1 m
17 DecSun
1:46 am
0.1 m
18 DecMon
2:30 am
0.1 m
Minus tides already past
31 December – 1 January 2026
Date
Low water
Height
31 DecWed
11:03 pm
0.1 m
1 JanThu
11:59 pm
0.1 m
3–6 January 2026
Date
Low water
Height
3 JanSat
12:49 am
0.0 m
4 JanSun
1:36 am
0.0 m
5 JanMon
2:19 am
0.0 m
6 JanTue
2:59 am
0.1 m
17–21 May 2026
Date
Low water
Height
17 MaySun
2:13 pm
0.1 m
18 MayMon
3:14 pm
0.0 m
19 MayTue
4:13 pm
0.0 m
20 MayWed
5:10 pm
0.0 m
21 MayThu
6:03 pm
0.1 m
14–18 June 2026
Date
Low water
Height
14 JunSun
1:26 pm
0.1 m
15 JunMon
2:20 pm
0.0 m
16 JunTue
3:11 pm
0.0 m
17 JunWed
3:59 pm
0.0 m
18 JunThu
4:43 pm
0.1 m
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.