Local Tides
Southampton Water & the Solent • 12-month prediction table, refreshed periodically from tide-prediction software
Tide is currently FALLING ↓ — approx. 2.5m
Next Low Tide at 13:49 (1.7m) — in 2h 2m
Today & Tomorrow
The curve below is built from the real predicted high and low tide times and heights (marked with dots), smoothly interpolated between them — the same shape a real tide gauge trace follows. The orange dot marks where we are right now, and creeps along the curve without needing to reload the page.
Heights in metres above Chart Datum • dashed line marks midnight between today and tomorrow
Why Southampton Gets a “Double High Water”
Southampton is one of only a handful of places in the world where the tide gives two separate high-water peaks instead of one smooth crest — the famous “Double High Water”. It isn’t caused by the Solent’s two entrances directly, as is often assumed, but by the way the English Channel’s twice-daily tidal oscillation combines with several smaller oscillations confined to the Isle of Wight area, layering together into the Solent’s particular tidal curve.
The same effect produces two other features prized by mariners: the Young Flood Stand, a two-hour pause in the rising tide roughly two hours after low water, and an unusually short 3¾-hour ebb tide compared to most UK ports. Together they give a long, gentle window either side of high water — part of why Southampton has been such a significant port for as long as it has.
Read the full explanation of the Double High Water »
About This Data
Predictions are computed for Portsmouth (the nearest reference port in the underlying tide database) with a −45 minute correction applied for Southampton, then a further correction for meteorological effects such as barometric pressure and strong winds — these can shift the actual tide earlier/later or higher/lower than predicted, particularly in a North-Easterly blow. The official reference source is the UK Hydrographic Office’s Admiralty EasyTide service. Live, real-time sea conditions (rather than predictions) are also published by the volunteer-run Sotonmet (Southampton Dockhead) and Bramblemet (Bramble Bank, central Solent) weather stations — sources we draw on, kept here rather than sending you off to another site.
Classic Tide Tables & Sun/Moon Times
The full 24-day rolling table and date-picker below have been part of this site for years — kept exactly as they've always looked, cream-and-teal styling included, for old times' sake. Pick any date up to a year ahead to jump the table forward.
Source: tide-prediction data for Southampton Water & the Solent • See also: Double Tides Explained • UK Wave Height • Shipping Forecast • Inshore Waters Forecast • Solent Beach Forecast