Whether you're planning a sunrise beach walk, a shelling run at Coligny, a dolphin tour out of Broad Creek, or a cast off the sandbar, the tide sets the window. Here's the live forecast, then a quick guide to what each tide is good for.
Loading the latest NOAA tide predictions…
The hour or two either side of low tide is the island's best all-around beach window. The water pulls back to reveal a wide, flat, hard-packed apron of sand — firm enough to bike or run on, gentle enough for toddlers in the warm tidal pools left behind. It's also prime time for shells and sand dollars, especially along Port Royal and the sandbars off South Beach.
At high tide the beach narrows and the water comes up toward the dunes and the beach-access boardwalks. If your plan is mostly swimming and you'd rather not walk far to get waist-deep, high tide is your friend. Just bring less gear — there's less dry sand to spread out on, especially during spring tides around the full and new moon.
On-water activities want moving water, not slack. Dolphins feed on the falling tide, inshore fish and shrimp follow the current, and the marsh creeks need enough water to float a kayak. Booking a dolphin cruise, fishing charter, or kayak tour? Aim for a slot on a rising or falling tide — and check the chart above before you reserve.
Hilton Head runs on a semidiurnal cycle — two high tides and two low tides about every 24 hours and 50 minutes, so each day's tides arrive roughly 50 minutes later than the day before. The live chart above shows the exact high and low times for the next seven days. Times are NOAA predictions for the Fort Pulaski station; Hilton Head beaches lag them by about 25 minutes.
Low tide is the local favorite for most beach activities: it exposes a wide, flat, hard-packed apron of sand that's perfect for walking, running, biking, building castles, and finding shells. High tide pulls the water up near the dunes, shrinks the beach, and is better if your main goal is swimming without a long walk to waist-deep water. For families with small kids, the hour either side of low tide leaves warm, shallow tidal pools.
Go at low tide, and ideally the low tide that follows a spring tide around the new or full moon, which drags more shells up onto the flats. Early-morning low tides beat afternoon ones — fewer people have walked the beach ahead of you. The north end (Port Royal, Fish Haul) and the toe of the island near South Beach are the most productive stretches.
Yes, significantly. Most dolphin and nature-tour operators schedule around the tide because dolphins feed on moving water and the salt-marsh creeks are only navigable above a certain level. Kayak and SUP outfitters favor the slack hour around high tide. Inshore fishing and shrimping are best on a moving tide, especially the falling tide. If you're booking an on-water activity, check the chart above and pick a slot on a moving tide.
Fort Pulaski (NOAA station 8670870), just across the Savannah River, is the nearest long-record official tide gauge to Hilton Head Island. There is no NOAA prediction station directly on the Hilton Head beachfront, so Fort Pulaski is the standard reference along this stretch of the Lowcountry. Hilton Head's open beaches see the tide about 25 minutes after the Fort Pulaski prediction; back-creek and marsh times vary more.
The mean range is roughly 6 to 7 feet, and around the new and full moon (spring tides) it can push to 8 feet or more — a large range for the U.S. East Coast. It means the beach can look dramatically different from morning to afternoon, and it's why timing matters so much for shelling, kayaking, and finding the firm sand for a beach walk.
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| Day | High tides | Low tides |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jun 9 | 2:56 AM (6.4 ft) · 3:31 PM (6.9 ft) | 9:26 AM (0.3 ft) · 10:01 PM (1.0 ft) |
| Wed, Jun 10 | 3:52 AM (6.4 ft) · 4:28 PM (7.4 ft) | 10:23 AM (0.1 ft) · 11:06 PM (0.7 ft) |
| Thu, Jun 11 | 4:52 AM (6.4 ft) · 5:27 PM (7.8 ft) | 11:20 AM (-0.2 ft) |
| Fri, Jun 12 | 5:53 AM (6.5 ft) · 6:26 PM (8.2 ft) | 12:09 AM (0.3 ft) · 12:17 PM (-0.5 ft) |
| Sat, Jun 13 | 6:54 AM (6.6 ft) · 7:23 PM (8.5 ft) | 1:08 AM (-0.0 ft) · 1:13 PM (-0.8 ft) |
| Sun, Jun 14 | 7:52 AM (6.7 ft) · 8:19 PM (8.7 ft) | 2:06 AM (-0.3 ft) · 2:10 PM (-0.9 ft) |
| Mon, Jun 15 | 8:50 AM (6.8 ft) · 9:15 PM (8.7 ft) | 3:02 AM (-0.5 ft) · 3:06 PM (-1.0 ft) |
Predictions from NOAA Fort Pulaski station (8670870). Hilton Head beaches lag predictions by ~25 minutes; surf conditions can shift these times another 10-15 minutes. Cached hourly.
