Tide pooling in Connecticut: best low tides
The best tide pool days are low tides that are among a spot's lowest of the year and fall in daylight. In Connecticut they come mostly in January to March. The next stretch of tide pool lows across the state is Nov 23. Dates, times and heights below come from NOAA predictions for 41 spots, worked out for the next 12 months.
Tide pools in every state · Connecticut king tides
Tide pool season in Connecticut
Average number of good tide pool days per spot, month by month:
Best tide pool days statewide
| Dates | Best day | Spots with a good low that day |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 23 | Mon Nov 23 | 30 of 41 spots |
| Dec 21–23 | Tue Dec 22 | 30 of 41 spots |
| Jan 19–22 | Wed Jan 20 | 34 of 41 spots |
| Jan 26 | Tue Jan 26 | 17 of 41 spots |
| Feb 17–24 | Fri Feb 19 | 37 of 41 spots |
| Mar 19–25 | Sun Mar 21 | 39 of 41 spots |
| Apr 8 | Thu Apr 8 | 11 of 41 spots |
| Apr 21 | Wed Apr 21 | 11 of 41 spots |
Tide pool lows for your spot
Next good low
Showing all 41 spots
| Spot | Next tide pool lows | Lowest |
|---|---|---|
| Guilford Harbor | Oct 26 afternoon then Nov 23, Dec 22–23 | -0.4 ft Mon Oct 26, 5:49 PM 4 good days in the next 3 months |
| Madison | Oct 26 afternoon then Nov 23–24, Dec 22–23 | -0.3 ft Mon Oct 26, 5:40 PM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Sachem Head | Oct 26 afternoon then Nov 23, Dec 22–23 | -0.4 ft Mon Oct 26, 5:55 PM 4 good days in the next 3 months |
| West Mystic, Mystic River | Oct 26–27 afternoons then Nov 22–25, Dec 20–25 | -0.2 ft Mon Oct 26, 4:23 PM 12 good days in the next 3 months |
| Westbrook, Duck Island Roads | Oct 26 afternoon then Nov 23–24, Dec 22–23 | -0.3 ft Mon Oct 26, 5:38 PM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Black Rock Harbor | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 21–22, Jan 20–21 | -0.8 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:04 PM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| Branford, Branford River | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22–23, Jan 20–21 | -0.5 ft Mon Nov 23, 3:47 PM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| Bridgeport | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:00 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Clinton Harbor | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 21–23, Jan 19–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 3:53 PM 4 good days in the next 3 months |
| Cos Cob Harbor | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:11 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Essex | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 21–22, Jan 19–21 | -0.3 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:06 PM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| Gulf Beach | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22–23, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 3:52 PM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| Lighthouse Point, New Haven Harbor | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22–23, Jan 20–21 | -0.5 ft Mon Nov 23, 3:53 PM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| Long Neck Point | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.7 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:05 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Lyme, highway bridge | Nov 23–24 afternoons then Dec 21–23, Jan 19–22 | -0.3 ft Tue Nov 24, 4:25 PM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Milford Harbor | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 3:57 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| New Haven Harbor, New Haven Reach | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22–23, Jan 20–21 | -0.5 ft Mon Nov 23, 3:55 PM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| New London, State Pier | Nov 23–25 afternoons then Dec 21–24, Jan 19–23 | -0.4 ft Wed Nov 25, 4:05 PM 7 good days in the next 3 months |
| Niantic, Niantic River | Nov 23–24 afternoons then Dec 21–23, Jan 19–22 | -0.3 ft Tue Nov 24, 4:13 PM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Norwich | Nov 23–24 afternoons then Dec 21–24, Jan 19–23 | -0.4 ft Tue Nov 24, 3:35 PM 6 good days in the next 3 months |
| Rowayton, Fivemile River | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:05 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Saugatuck, Saugatuck River | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:13 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Saybrook Jetty | Nov 23–24 afternoons then Dec 21–23, Jan 19–22 | -0.5 ft Tue Nov 24, 4:01 PM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Saybrook Point | Nov 23–24 afternoons then Dec 21–23, Jan 19–22 | -0.5 ft Tue Nov 24, 4:09 PM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Sniffens Point | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:09 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| South Norwalk | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.8 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:09 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Southport, Southport Harbor | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.9 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:04 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Stamford | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.9 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:08 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Stratford, I-95 bridge | Nov 23 afternoon then Dec 22, Jan 20–21 | -0.6 ft Mon Nov 23, 4:23 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Yale boathouse | Nov 23–25 afternoons then Dec 21–24, Jan 19–23 | -0.4 ft Wed Nov 25, 4:15 PM 7 good days in the next 3 months |
| Haddam | Dec 21 afternoon then Dec 27, Jan 19 | -0.2 ft Mon Dec 21, 4:23 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Hadlyme | Dec 21 afternoon then Jan 19–20, Jan 26 | -0.3 ft Mon Dec 21, 3:38 PM 1 good day in the next 3 months |
| Tylerville | Dec 21 afternoon then Dec 27, Jan 19–20 | -0.3 ft Mon Dec 21, 4:06 PM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Hartford | Dec 23–27 mornings then Jan 21–26, Feb 19–24 | -0.3 ft Fri Dec 25, 10:35 AM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| South Hartford | Dec 23–27 mornings then Jan 21–26, Feb 19–24 | -0.2 ft Fri Dec 25, 10:37 AM 5 good days in the next 3 months |
| Rocky Hill | Dec 24–27 mornings then Jan 22–26, Feb 20–24 | -0.2 ft Fri Dec 25, 9:19 AM 4 good days in the next 3 months |
| Middletown | Dec 25–27 mornings then Jan 24–26, Feb 17 | -0.3 ft Fri Dec 25, 8:22 AM 3 good days in the next 3 months |
| Higganum Creek | Dec 26–27 mornings then Jan 19, Jan 25–26 | -0.3 ft Sat Dec 26, 8:17 AM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Maromas | Dec 26–27 mornings then Jan 24–26, Feb 17 | -0.3 ft Sat Dec 26, 8:38 AM 2 good days in the next 3 months |
| Long Hill | Jan 20 afternoon then Jan 25–26, Feb 18–19 | -0.6 ft Wed Jan 20, 4:37 PM 0 good days in the next 3 months |
| Shelton | Jan 20 afternoon then Jan 25–26, Feb 18–19 | -0.6 ft Wed Jan 20, 4:43 PM 0 good days in the next 3 months |
Tide pool tips
Go before the low
Arrive about an hour before low tide and head back as soon as the water turns.
Watch the waves
Sneaker waves run far up rocky shores, especially on the Pacific. Never turn your back on the ocean.
Step on bare rock
Seaweed and barnacles are slippery and alive. Wear shoes with grip and step on bare rock or sand.
Look, don't take
Touch gently with a wet finger, put rocks back as you found them, and leave animals and shells. Many tide pools are protected.
How these dates are worked out
For every spot we take NOAA's low tide predictions for the next 12 months. A low counts as a tide pool low when it's in that spot's lowest 10% and comes between an hour after sunrise and sunset, so there's light for the hour before it. Heights are feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), the zero on tide charts; below zero is a minus tide. Wind and swell can keep the water higher than predicted. Not for navigation.