Massachusetts Tide Charts

Q: Where do the Massachusetts tide predictions come from?

Every value comes from NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). Massachusetts has 10 harmonic prediction stations in this directory, and each page requests the predictions from api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov in your browser when it loads, so the numbers are NOAA's own rather than a copy we maintain.

Q: Which Massachusetts station has the biggest tides?

Among the stations listed here, Plymouth has the largest published mean range at 9.76 feet, while Vineyard Haven has the smallest at 1.59 feet. Mean range is NOAA's long-term average difference between mean high water and mean low water; spring tides swing wider than it and neap tides narrower.

Q: Why is high tide at different times along the Massachusetts coast?

The tide is a long wave moving along the coast and into every bay and river, and it takes real time to travel. Two towns on the same shoreline can see high water an hour or more apart, and the delay grows up estuaries and behind inlets. That is why this page links a separate chart per NOAA station instead of pretending one table covers the whole state.

Q: Can I use these pages for boating in Massachusetts?

No. These are planning pages for beach walks, fishing and tidepooling. Mariners should use official NOAA charts and products at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov. Whether any specific flat, bar or crossing is safe on foot is a local conditions question for the authority that manages that shoreline, not something a tide table can answer.

Seven day tide tables and today's tide curve for 10 NOAA harmonic prediction stations on the Massachusetts coast, live from NOAA CO-OPS.

10 NOAA stations with a tide chart page in Massachusetts

Station pages

Biggest mean range

9.76 ft

Source

NOAA CO-OPS

Massachusetts tides at a glance

NOAA harmonic stations

tide chart pages

one per NOAA harmonic station

9.76 ft

largest mean range

Plymouth (station 8446493)

1.59 ft

smallest mean range

Vineyard Haven (station 8448157)

Mixed

tide types here

NOAA station classification

Massachusetts tides run two very different regimes: the big Gulf of Maine tides north of Cape Cod, and the much smaller tides of Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay on the south side. The same afternoon can be a huge low on Cape Cod Bay and a modest one in Hyannis.

Pick your coast

Massachusetts tide chart pages

Each page below reads NOAA’s harmonic predictions live for one station: today’s curve, a 7 day high/low table with sun and moon times, and the week’s best low tide windows. Mean range and tide type come from NOAA’s published station datums, and they are worth a glance before you pick: two towns an hour apart can live on very different tides.

Tide chart	NOAA station	Mean range	Tide type
Newburyport	NEWBURYPORT, MERRIMACK RIVER (8440466)	8.09 ft	Mixed
Gloucester	GLOUCESTER HARBOR (8441841)	8.8 ft	Mixed
Boston	Boston (8443970)	9.49 ft	Mixed
Provincetown	Provincetown (8446121)	9.29 ft	Mixed
Plymouth	PLYMOUTH, PLYMOUTH HARBOR (8446493)	9.76 ft	Mixed
Chatham	CHATHAM, STAGE HARBOR (8447505)	3.95 ft	Mixed
Hyannis Port	HYANNISPORT (8447605)	3.19 ft	Mixed
New Bedford	New Bedford Harbor (8447636)	3.6 ft	Mixed
Vineyard Haven	VINEYARD HAVEN, VINEYARD HVN HBR (8448157)	1.59 ft	Mixed
Nantucket	Nantucket Island (8449130)	3.03 ft	Mixed

Mean range is NOAA’s published difference between mean high water and mean low water at each station, in feet.

Local knowledge

How tides behave on the Massachusetts coast

The Brewster and Skaket flats on Cape Cod Bay are the classic reason to read a tide chart here: at a good low the water retreats close to a mile, and the walk back races the flood. Clammers, birders and families all plan around that window.

The spread inside the state is real: NOAA’s mean range runs from 1.59 feet at Vineyard Haven to 9.76 feet at Plymouth. Use the station nearest the shoreline you actually plan to stand on, and expect timing to drift further up rivers, estuaries and back bays.

Tide pool at low water crowded with purple and orange sea stars and green anemones — A tide pool exposed at low water. The daytime lows and minus tides flagged on each Massachusetts station page are the windows when shoreline like this is reachable. “Tide pools in santa cruz” by Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0

A white tide staff marked in feet standing in harbor water, with a Tide Level sign and NOAA ships docked behind it — A tide staff and NOAA ships in Juneau, Alaska. Every prediction on the Massachusetts pages traces back to water level measurements like these, analyzed by NOAA CO-OPS into harmonic constants. “NOAA Tide Level Juneau 28” by Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0

A person digging for clams with a long-handled tool on a wet sand flat exposed at low tide — Clam digging on a flat exposed at low water. Where Massachusetts allows shellfishing, the tide table is the first tool; the state’s harvest rules and closures are the second. “Clam digging” by Martyne Reesman, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, CC BY-SA 2.0

A full moon rising over calm water beyond a stone breakwater with people watching from it — Full and new moons bring the biggest tides of the month to the Massachusetts coast: spring tides, when the highs run highest and the minus tides show up. “Full Moon rising over Brisbane River-1” by Sheba_Also 43,000 photos, CC BY-SA 2.0

Common questions

Massachusetts tides FAQ

Where do the Massachusetts tide predictions come from?

Which Massachusetts station has the biggest tides?

Why is high tide at different times along the Massachusetts coast?

Can I use these pages for boating in Massachusetts?

Beyond Massachusetts

More coast planning

Massachusetts beach conditionsLive NWS rip current and surf zone forecasts for this coast, reproduced as issued.Massachusetts tick forecastDune grass and coastal trails are tick habitat. Worth a check before the walk in.Massachusetts mosquito forecastMarsh coast at dusk is prime biting time. See where activity stands today.

Tide charts in other states

Station facts are from NOAA CO-OPS (tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov), US government work in the public domain, attributed as NOS requests. Tide values are read live on each station page and reproduced as published. These pages are for beach, fishing and tidepool planning, not navigation. National hub: US tide charts →
Hero image: “Brewster Flats Tidal Flats on Cape Cod Bay East Brewster Massachusetts” by EgorovaSvetlana, CC BY-SA 4.0