The King Tides are the highest tides of the year, offering a glimpse of our future coastline given sea level rise.

Each year, the Surfrider Foundation documents the phenomenon at various Los Angeles County beaches in order to create a visual aid for coastal policymakers and the general public. 

We achieve this by enlisting willing volunteers to help us document both the high and low tides. 

This year's King Tides fall on December 23-24, and again on January 21-22, 2023.

For the upcoming December dates, we would like to crowdsource both high and low tide video and photos of as many LA County beaches as possible. While GoPro time lapses and drone videos are welcome, most of us rely on our smartphones to capture footage of the high tide, the low tide, or both.

Here are the tide predictions for LA County, according to NOAA:

Friday, 12/23: high tide 8:12 AM, low tide 3:38 PM

Saturday, 12/24: high tide 8:58 AM, low tide 4:25 PM

Tide swings are gradual. If you're unable to observe and/or capture footage at the exact high or low tide time, that's OK. We suggest arrival within 30 min- 1 hour of the stated high and low tide times at the beach site you choose to visit. 

Our Ask:

Capturing video and photo content and send it to
nfaltas@la.surfrider.org) at priority sites during King Tides including: 

• • Malibu Surfrider Beach

• • Topanga Beach

• • Broad Beach

• • Westward Beach

• • Zuma 
    
•  
  • Sunset Beach

• Video footage is what we prefer - it's more impactful than photos. Fortunately, almost anyone with a smartphone can capture quality video footage. If you're using a phone, please hold your screen in the horizontal/sideways position to optimize a wide angle that is better for Youtube-style videos.
  • beach loss in areas where beaches usually exist in normal tide conditions
  •  flooding of coastal infrastructure, i.e. the ocean breaching onto roads, walking paths, parking lots, lifeguard towers under water, etc. 
  • waves overtopping any infrastructure (private property, roads, access paths, etc.) is always compelling.
  • Please be mindful of your safety and keep a safe distance from the observed high tide line (especially if there is a good swell that day). Safety first! 
• We typically use snippets between 3-15 seconds long. 
  
  
• If you're able to capture both high and low tide footage, please return to your same spot in the afternoon to capture low tide images. It will be worth it as you'll be able to stay for sunset!

If you operate a drone or have high quality videography equipment and would like to contribute at a priority beach site, please email nfaltas@la.surfrider.org to coordinate.