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Field conditions
Conditions & tides.
Live readout
The shore, measured.
Reading the table
Low water sets the calendar.
The tide decides when we walk. Cape Town gets roughly two low tides and two high tides a day, and only the low ones open the shore. At low water the pools drain to knee height, the kelp lies over, and animals that spend high tide hidden under ledges are suddenly in reach.
Spring tides — the days around new and full moon — pull the water furthest out. Those are the dates we chase for night walks, because the shore exposed then is shore you cannot reach at any other point in the month. Neap tides sit shallower and suit gentler day walks and snorkel sessions.
Swell and wind decide the rest. Above roughly two metres of swell the lower shore stops being safe to stand on, and a hard southeaster flattens underwater visibility. When the numbers above turn, we move your booking rather than run a poor tour.
- Tour times are set against the low-water mark, not the clock.
- Spring tides — new and full moon — are the deepest exposures of the month.
- Swell over 2 m or a hard southeaster means we reschedule you free.
- Readings refresh every five hours from Open-Meteo marine and surface models.
