Whitecliff Bay
Tides from Bembridge Harbour
Check the tide before you go.
Plan your days
Isle of Wight tide times, and the best low tides this week
High and low tide times around the Isle of Wight for the next seven days, with the daylight low tides for fossil hunting and rock pooling at each beach.
By Steve Dumas
Published
Live tide times aren’t showing right now. For today’s official predictions, use the UK Hydrographic Office’s EasyTide, and pick the station nearest your beach. The advice below still applies.
Fossil hunting: when to go this week
Search the foreshore and the fallen clay below the cliffs on a falling tide, and turn back as it rises. Never climb or dig into the cliffs.
Yaverland
Tides from Sandown
Check the tide before you go.
Brook Bay
Tides from Freshwater Bay
Check the tide before you go.
Compton Bay and Hanover Point
Tides from Freshwater Bay
Check the tide before you go.
Rock pooling: when to go this week
The ledges are best in the hour or two before low water. Lower tides uncover more, so the starred days are the ones to choose.
Bembridge (Lane End)
Tides from Foreland
At high water there can be little beach left.
St Helens Duver
Tides from Bembridge Harbour
At high tide the top of the beach can be covered.
Shanklin Beach
Tides from Sandown
Check the tide before you go.
Steephill Cove
Tides from Ventnor
Check the tide before you go.
Freshwater Bay
Tides from Freshwater Bay
Check the tide before you go.
How we pick the windows
Each window runs from two hours before low water to an hour after it, trimmed to daylight (from half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset). We drop any window shorter than an hour. Days marked ★ have one of the week’s lowest low tides, which uncover the most shore. Tide times come from the station nearest each beach.
Planning a beach day? See the beach guides, the sunset times, and dog ban dates.
Frequently asked questions
Why are tides different around the Isle of Wight?
The Solent has an unusual tide: on much of the north coast there is a long stand or a second high water, which is part of why Southampton became a great port. The south and west coasts face the open Channel and have a more ordinary pattern, so low water at Freshwater Bay and at Ryde can be hours apart. Always use the station nearest the beach.
When is the best time to go fossil hunting on the Isle of Wight?
On a falling tide, starting about two hours before low water, ideally after winter storms have brought down fresh material. Compton Bay, Brook and Yaverland are the classic beaches. Keep away from the cliff foot, check the tide before you set out, and collect only loose material lying on the beach. Never dig into the cliffs.