Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach tide pools: when to go and where to stay

Plan a Laguna Beach tide-pool visit around the low tides: how to read the tide table, which seasons give daytime lows, and which villas sit near the coves.

Event guideWritten by HavenVox EditorialFacts checked

Not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA, the City of Laguna Beach or any marine protected area authority.

Close-up of a rocky tide pool with golden seaweed and sea grass
A tide pool at low tide.
Photo: incidencematrix, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped Licence Source

Laguna Beach tide pools: when to go and where to stay

Check dates

Plan your dates

Check dates

Overview

Laguna Beach is known for its coves and rocky shoreline, and the tide decides whether the pools below the cliffs are open to explore. The tide tables below come from the nearest NOAA prediction station to Laguna Beach. They are predictions of the astronomical tide, not a statement about current conditions or safety.

Check the tide for your own dates, plan the visit around the lowest water, and leave the pools as you found them.

How to read the tide tables

Each row is a predicted low tide, in local time, with its height in feet above the low-water datum NOAA uses (mean lower low water). Lower is better for pools: our working guide is that a low at or below zero feet is a very good visit, and a low up to one foot is a good one. These are planning values, not rules.

The tables were last updated . Predictions come from NOAA's Newport Bay Entrance station, the nearest to Laguna Beach.

A winter month

Daytime lows deep enough for pool exploring are most common from autumn through spring. Here is January:

Predicted tides for Newport Bay Entrance, Corona del Mar, January 2027
DateTide times
11:53 am (0.6 ft) low below threshold; 10:20 pm (2.2 ft) low
12:46 pm (0.1 ft) low below threshold; 11:18 pm (2.4 ft) low
1:28 pm (-0.3 ft) low below threshold
12:08 am (2.5 ft) low; 2:03 pm (-0.6 ft) low below threshold
12:50 am (2.5 ft) low; 2:35 pm (-0.7 ft) low below threshold
1:25 am (2.4 ft) low; 3:05 pm (-0.8 ft) low below threshold
1:58 am (2.3 ft) low; 3:33 pm (-0.8 ft) low below threshold
2:31 am (2.2 ft) low; 4:01 pm (-0.7 ft) low below threshold
3:04 am (2.2 ft) low; 4:29 pm (-0.5 ft) low below threshold
3:40 am (2.1 ft) low; 4:55 pm (-0.3 ft) low below threshold
4:20 am (2.2 ft) low; 5:21 pm (0.0 ft) low below threshold
5:06 am (2.2 ft) low; 5:47 pm (0.4 ft) low below threshold
6:05 am (2.2 ft) low; 6:13 pm (0.8 ft) low below threshold
7:25 am (2.1 ft) low; 6:42 pm (1.3 ft) low
9:11 am (1.7 ft) low; 7:18 pm (1.8 ft) low
10:49 am (1.0 ft) low; 8:18 pm (2.2 ft) low
11:55 am (0.2 ft) low below threshold; 9:51 pm (2.5 ft) low
12:46 pm (-0.5 ft) low below threshold; 11:15 pm (2.5 ft) low
1:30 pm (-1.2 ft) low below threshold
12:21 am (2.3 ft) low; 2:12 pm (-1.6 ft) low below threshold
1:17 am (2.0 ft) low; 2:53 pm (-1.9 ft) low below threshold
2:09 am (1.6 ft) low; 3:32 pm (-1.8 ft) low below threshold
2:59 am (1.4 ft) low; 4:10 pm (-1.5 ft) low below threshold
3:51 am (1.2 ft) low; 4:46 pm (-1.1 ft) low below threshold
4:46 am (1.2 ft) low; 5:22 pm (-0.4 ft) low below threshold
5:46 am (1.3 ft) low; 5:56 pm (0.3 ft) low below threshold
6:58 am (1.4 ft) low; 6:29 pm (1.1 ft) low
8:29 am (1.3 ft) low; 7:03 pm (1.8 ft) low
10:15 am (1.0 ft) low; 7:45 pm (2.3 ft) low
11:39 am (0.6 ft) low below threshold; 9:27 pm (2.7 ft) low
12:34 pm (0.1 ft) low below threshold; 11:10 pm (2.8 ft) low

A summer month

In the middle of summer the lowest tides tend to fall in the dark or early morning, so daytime pool visits are fewer. Here is June:

Predicted tides for Newport Bay Entrance, Corona del Mar, June 2027
DateTide times
1:50 am (0.3 ft) low below threshold; 12:46 pm (1.7 ft) low
2:31 am (-0.4 ft) low below threshold; 1:25 pm (1.8 ft) low
3:12 am (-1.0 ft) low below threshold; 2:06 pm (1.9 ft) low
3:56 am (-1.4 ft) low below threshold; 2:49 pm (2.0 ft) low
4:41 am (-1.6 ft) low below threshold; 3:36 pm (2.1 ft) low
5:29 am (-1.6 ft) low below threshold; 4:27 pm (2.2 ft) low
6:18 am (-1.4 ft) low below threshold; 5:26 pm (2.3 ft) low
7:09 am (-1.1 ft) low below threshold; 6:37 pm (2.4 ft) low
8:02 am (-0.6 ft) low below threshold; 8:04 pm (2.4 ft) low
8:55 am (-0.1 ft) low below threshold; 9:42 pm (2.1 ft) low
9:48 am (0.4 ft) low below threshold; 11:14 pm (1.5 ft) low
10:40 am (0.9 ft) low below threshold
12:29 am (0.8 ft) low below threshold; 11:30 am (1.4 ft) low
1:27 am (0.2 ft) low below threshold; 12:18 pm (1.8 ft) low
2:16 am (-0.3 ft) low below threshold; 1:03 pm (2.1 ft) low
2:58 am (-0.6 ft) low below threshold; 1:44 pm (2.3 ft) low
3:35 am (-0.8 ft) low below threshold; 2:21 pm (2.4 ft) low
4:11 am (-0.8 ft) low below threshold; 2:57 pm (2.4 ft) low
4:44 am (-0.8 ft) low below threshold; 3:31 pm (2.4 ft) low
5:18 am (-0.7 ft) low below threshold; 4:06 pm (2.4 ft) low
5:51 am (-0.5 ft) low below threshold; 4:43 pm (2.5 ft) low
6:24 am (-0.3 ft) low below threshold; 5:25 pm (2.6 ft) low
6:57 am (0.0 ft) low below threshold; 6:15 pm (2.6 ft) low
7:30 am (0.3 ft) low below threshold; 7:19 pm (2.7 ft) low
8:02 am (0.7 ft) low below threshold; 8:43 pm (2.6 ft) low
8:36 am (1.1 ft) low; 10:22 pm (2.2 ft) low
9:15 am (1.5 ft) low; 11:46 pm (1.6 ft) low
10:01 am (1.9 ft) low
12:47 am (0.9 ft) low below threshold; 10:57 am (2.2 ft) low
1:36 am (0.1 ft) low below threshold; 11:57 am (2.3 ft) low

Where to stay

Sunset Cove Villas. Consider this collection if the water is your priority. Sunset Cove has its own staircase directly down to Cleo Beach. The beach is public, and Sunset Cove has no pool.

Sunset Cove Villas has eight villas with one to three bedrooms that sleep four to eight guests, and each listing shows its exact occupancy.

The Retreat at Laguna Villas. Consider this collection for a couple or a small family. Its beach access is semi-direct: the path from the property meets the public Cleo Street city steps. Check the chosen villa's layout and any stair requirements before booking.

The Retreat at Laguna Villas has eight one-bedroom villas that each sleep four.

On the rocks

The rocks along the shore are slippery and uneven, and waves can arrive without warning. Wear shoes with grip, never turn your back on the water, and stay off the rocks in rough surf.

The coves below the villas sit inside the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, where it is unlawful to take or damage any living, geological or cultural marine resource. The city asks tide poolers not to collect animals, shells or rocks, not to pick up or touch animals, to step gently and never turn over rocks, and to stay off the rocks when lifeguards post them closed. For the best pools, go when the low tide is below +2.0 feet.

Questions before you book

Can you tell us it is safe to explore the pools?

No. The tables are predictions of the tide, not of waves or conditions. Check the surf and the lifeguards' advice on the day.

Which tide is best?

A low at or below zero feet gives the most to see; a low up to one foot is still good. These are planning values we use, not a rule.

Are stairs common in Laguna Beach homes?

Yes. Check the particular villa and its beach access route before booking if stairs are a concern for anyone in your party.

Plan your dates

Tell us the dates you are considering, your guest count and bedroom needs, and we will suggest a villa near the water. See also our Laguna Beach destination guide.

A minimum stay may apply.

Places to stay

See all homes in Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach tide pools: when to go and where to stay

Get event updates

One short email when the organizer changes something that affects your stay. Nothing else.

Ready to pick your dates? Tell us when you’re coming and how many are in your group, and we’ll match you with a home that fits.

Read our privacy policy

A tide pool at low tide.