Smith Shoal Light Tides Today
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Smith Shoal Light runs a mean tidal range of about 2.5 ft. This month the highest water, 4.3 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 28, and the lowest, a -0.4 ft minus tide, on the morning of Oct 27.
| High tide | 3:21 AM | 3.8 ft |
| Low tide | 10:50 AM | 0.2 ft |
| High tide | 5:57 PM | 3.0 ft |
| Low tide | 10:44 PM | 2.1 ft |
Today on the water at Smith Shoal Light
Today at Smith Shoal Light: high tide at 3:21 AM (3.8 ft) and 5:57 PM (3.0 ft), low tide at 10:50 AM (0.2 ft) and 10:44 PM (2.1 ft). Sunrise is at 7:33 AM and sunset at 6:49 PM.
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Smith Shoal Light is
Smith Shoal Light sits at 24.7183° N, 81.9215° W on the Florida Keys, where the Atlantic meets Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, about 12 mi northwest of Key West, FL. The station here is a historical NOAA reference station: a gauge measured the tide at this spot from 2010 until 2011, and NOAA still publishes harmonic predictions from that record. There is no live reading here today. The closest gauge measuring live water level is Key West (NOAA 8724580), 13.3 mi away, and high and low water here run on average about 133 min later than there.
The tide at Smith Shoal Light
Smith Shoal Light has a mixed tide: two highs and two lows a day, but of unequal size, so one low each day drains noticeably lower than the other. This month's predictions average 1.9 high tides a day here. The mean range from lower low to higher high is 3.4 ft, and 2.6 ft between the average high and the average low, a moderate tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.2 ft and the lower low sits 0.6 ft below the other low. For the water around it: The Keys sit on a tidal seam: the ocean side has two semidiurnal highs a day near 2 ft, while the bay side is smaller and more diurnal, so tides on opposite sides of one key can differ by hours.
About this station
- High tide reaches Smith Shoal Light about 4.5 hours after the moon passes overhead. That lag is local, which is why high water does not line up with the moon.
Datum and source
Heights on this page are feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), the zero NOAA's nautical charts use for soundings. A predicted 0.0 ft low is the average of the lower low each day; a minus tide is water below chart datum, and a 2 ft high means 2 ft more water than the chart shows. NOAA fixes MLLW at Smith Shoal Light from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 3.4 ft above it and mean sea level 1.9 ft. These datums are controlled from NOAA's Naples, FL gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8724671, established 2010, gauge removed 2011. The tide times and heights are NOAA's official harmonic predictions for this station; TidalMap republishes them daily and does not alter them.
Tide stations near Smith Shoal Light
- Key West: 13.3 mi, tides about 133 min earlier
- Channel Key, west side: 14.7 mi, tides about 55 min later
- Waltz Key, Waltz Key Basin: 17.6 mi, tides about 150 min later
- Saddlebunch Keys, Channel No. 5: 20.1 mi, tides about 212 min later
- Sawyer Key, outside, Cudjoe Channel: 22.7 mi, tides about 111 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Smith Shoal Light this month: Oct 1, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 25, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30. These spring highs push water up into the grass and over the oyster rock; prime for poling into flooded marsh for tailing reds.
🔻 Negative (minus) low tides at Smith Shoal Light this month: Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30. These drain the flats and expose the oyster rock, prime for sight-fishing and clamming.
Best fishing times (solunar)
Major and minor solunar windows for Smith Shoal Light, peak feeding activity is around the moon overhead/underfoot (majors) and moonrise/moonset (minors). Score is the day's activity coefficient (0–100).
| Day | Major windows | Minor windows | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today 🌖 | 5:07–7:07 AM 5:32–7:32 PM | — 12:14–2:14 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 6:07–8:07 AM 6:32–8:32 PM | 11:06–1:06 AM 1:03–3:03 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 7:03–9:03 AM 7:28–9:28 PM | 12:13–2:13 AM 1:46–3:46 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:54–9:54 AM 8:19–10:19 PM | 1:18–3:18 AM 2:24–4:24 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:42–10:42 AM 9:07–11:07 PM | 2:19–4:19 AM 2:59–4:59 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:28–11:28 AM 9:53–11:53 PM | 3:18–5:18 AM 3:32–5:32 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 10:13–12:13 PM 10:38–12:38 AM | 4:16–6:16 AM 4:05–6:05 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8724671. Solunar windows computed from the moon's position for this location. Times shown in the station's local time. Not for navigation.
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