#KingTides — Coming to a Foreshore Near You!

With the approaching winter, we’re also preparing for the next rounds of “king tides.” Statewide king tides are due on December 4–5, with higher-than-usual tides also expected on December 6. This is a good time to go check your dock lines and make sure you boat has enough scope. Also, the California King Tides Project, which has been operating since 2018, is again looking for people to photograph the king tides in their local areas and share the photos using the hashtag #KingTides.

The California King Tides Project is run by the California Coastal Commission, which has been working to protect and understand our coastal landscape since 1972. The California King Tides Project is part of the organization’s work to “understand what’s vulnerable to flooding today, plan for future sea level rise, and get us all talking and thinking about the impacts of the climate crisis and what we can do to make a difference.” Your photos can help.

While many people and organizations are working on macro-level projects to slow the pace of the warming of the planet, many waterfront communities are making plans to adapt to the rising seas. Alameda’s Adaptation Committee is one of those. If you’d like to get involved, you can read their latest newsletter here. The Port of Oakland and Port of Los Angeles, and most ports are taking a dual-pronged approach by working to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions while also developing resilient facilities that can adapt to the rising seas. The Port of Los Angeles Alta Sea project is dedicated to improving sustainability with its Blue Economy projects and investments. You can attend their “State of the Port” event at the AltaSea location on January 22.

You can find your local king tide times here (mark the dates on your calendar) and start thinking about where and when you’ll take your #KingTides photographs. “Your participation makes the Project possible and we appreciate you!”

While king tides themselves are not caused by sea level rise, their occurrence is an opportunity to experience a little of what higher sea levels will be like. The project organizers explain, “King Tides are the highest predicted tides caused by the gravitational pull between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. They’re about a foot or two higher than average high tides, which gives us a preview of the sea level that’s expected within the next few decades. When you observe the King Tides, picture the water level that high and higher every day. Documenting what King Tides look like today will help us responsibly plan for sea level rise in the future, and gets us thinking and talking about what we can do today.”

The next dates for the California King Tides Project are January 2 and 3, 2026.

If you represent a community group or local government that would like to host a king-tides event, please contact [email protected].

You can browse more king-tide photos on the photo map and on the California King Tides Project website.