Nantasket Beach Tides

For Nantasket Beach tide times, use NOAA's tide predictions for station 8444351, Hull, MA. There are two high tides and two low tides most days, about 12 and a half hours apart, and they come roughly 50 minutes later each day. At high tide much of the beach is under water, so check the time before you go.

Where to Find Today's Tides

NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) publishes the official tide predictions. The closest station to the beach is 8444351, Hull, MA. Its predictions page lists each day's high and low tides with times and heights, and you can pick any date months ahead.

Heights on NOAA's table are in feet, measured from mean lower low water (MLLW), the zero line NOAA uses for this station. Some low tides show a minus sign, meaning the water drops below that line. Those minus tides leave the most sand.

What High Tide Does to Nantasket Beach

DCR's master plan describes the beach plainly: at low tide it's a wide, open area with room for hundreds of people, and at high tide much of it is under water. The beach sits on a narrow strip of land, only 450 to 500 feet wide in places, between the Weir River and the Atlantic. There isn't a lot of dry sand to spare when the water comes up.

DCR also notes that the tides often cover the south end of the beach in cobblestones. The north end has fewer stones and easier access. If you're bringing small kids, a beach wheelchair, or just want soft sand at high tide, head north.

Best Tide for a Beach Day

• Most room: arrive a couple of hours before low tide. You'll have the widest beach for the longest stretch of the day.
• High tide visits: set up well back from the water and keep bags close. The promenade along the seawall runs the length of the reservation if the sand runs out.
• Beach wheelchairs: DCR warns that cobblestones or other debris at the tideline can stop a chair before the water's edge. Low tide at the north end gives the best chance of reaching the water.
• Getting on and off the beach: concrete stairs and ramps run through the seawall. DCR rebuilt them as part of 2007 seawall repairs, and the ramps meet ADA standards.

How Big the Tides Get

Using NOAA's predictions for July 2026 as a summer sample, high tides at the Hull station ranged from 7.8 to 11.4 feet and low tides from -1.1 to 2.1 feet. From one high tide to the next low, the water dropped anywhere from 5.7 to 12.5 feet. A 12-foot drop moves the water line a long way across a flat beach, which is why the same spot can be dry at noon and wet by three.

Swimming and Lifeguards

Lifeguards are on duty Memorial Day to early September (weekends only until June 18). Outside those dates there's no lifeguard at any tide. State park rules allow swimming only in the designated swimming area during swimming hours; the rest are on our Rules page. Before you go in, see the water temperature and the forecast and live cams.