tidetimes.ie

Co. Dublin · Marine Institute gauge

Tide times Howth

Howth is a fishing and yacht harbour on the north side of Dublin Bay, with Balscadden Bay for swimmers, Claremont Beach for families and the cliff walk above. Its gauge also serves Sutton and Portmarnock.

Today, Fri, 16 Oct: high water at 03:20 (1.2 m) and 15:35 (1.3 m), low water at 09:05 and 21:40. The tide table below gives high and low water for the next 7 days, in Irish local time, and the calendar runs 30 days ahead. These predictions also serve Balscadden Bay, Claremont Beach, Sutton.

Water level today

m above OD Malin

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00sunrise 07:52sunset 18:27HW 03:201.21 mLW 09:05-1.16 mHW 15:351.32 mLW 21:40-1.11 m

Tide table · next 7 days

Howth tide table: high and low water

Fri, 16 Oct

Irish local time

▲ High

03:20

1.21 m

▽ Low

09:05

-1.16 m

▲ High

15:35

1.32 m

▽ Low

21:40

-1.11 m

Sat, 17 Oct

▲ High

04:10

0.99 m

▽ Low

09:55

-0.90 m

▲ High

16:25

1.15 m

▽ Low

22:35

-0.91 m

Sun, 18 Oct

▲ High

05:05

0.79 m

▽ Low

10:55

-0.67 m

▲ High

17:25

1.01 m

▽ Low

23:50

-0.79 m

Mon, 19 Oct

▲ High

06:25

0.70 m

▽ Low

12:15

-0.55 m

▲ High

18:35

0.96 m

Tue, 20 Oct

▽ Low

01:15

-0.83 m

▲ High

07:45

0.76 m

▽ Low

13:40

-0.60 m

▲ High

19:50

1.03 m

Wed, 21 Oct

▽ Low

02:25

-1.00 m

▲ High

08:50

0.93 m

▽ Low

14:40

-0.79 m

▲ High

20:50

1.19 m

Thu, 22 Oct

▽ Low

03:15

-1.23 m

▲ High

09:45

1.14 m

▽ Low

15:30

-1.04 m

▲ High

21:45

1.39 m

Heights in metres relative to OD Malin. Predictions © Marine Institute (CC BY 4.0). Weather can raise or lower actual levels. Allow a margin for safety.

Daylight

Sunrise and sunset in Howth

Today the sun rises at 07:52 and sets at 18:27, giving 10h 35m of daylight. A high tide after sunset is only useful to boats; for a swim or a walk match the tide to the daylight hours.

Calendar

Next 30 days in Howth

Month view of every high and low water. The range column is the gap between the day’s highest and lowest water: 3.9 m marks the biggest spring tide of the month, 1.5 m the quietest neap.

DateHigh waterLow waterRange
Fri, 16 Oct03:20 (1.2 m) · 15:35 (1.3 m)09:05 (-1.2 m) · 21:40 (-1.1 m)2.5 m
Sat, 17 Oct04:10 (1.0 m) · 16:25 (1.1 m)09:55 (-0.9 m) · 22:35 (-0.9 m)2.1 m
Sun, 18 Oct05:05 (0.8 m) · 17:25 (1.0 m)10:55 (-0.7 m) · 23:50 (-0.8 m)1.8 m
Mon, 19 Oct06:25 (0.7 m) · 18:35 (1.0 m)12:15 (-0.6 m)1.5 m
Tue, 20 Oct07:45 (0.8 m) · 19:50 (1.0 m)01:15 (-0.8 m) · 13:40 (-0.6 m)1.9 m
Wed, 21 Oct08:50 (0.9 m) · 20:50 (1.2 m)02:25 (-1.0 m) · 14:40 (-0.8 m)2.2 m
Thu, 22 Oct09:45 (1.1 m) · 21:45 (1.4 m)03:15 (-1.2 m) · 15:30 (-1.0 m)2.6 m
Fri, 23 Oct10:25 (1.4 m) · 22:25 (1.6 m)03:55 (-1.4 m) · 16:05 (-1.3 m)3.0 m
Sat, 24 Oct11:00 (1.5 m) · 23:05 (1.7 m)04:30 (-1.7 m) · 16:40 (-1.5 m)3.4 m
Sun, 25 Oct10:35 (1.7 m) · 22:45 (1.9 m)04:00 (-1.8 m) · 16:15 (-1.7 m)3.7 m
Mon, 26 Oct11:10 (1.8 m) · 23:20 (1.9 m)04:35 (-1.9 m) · 16:50 (-1.9 m)3.9 m
Tue, 27 Oct11:45 (1.8 m)05:10 (-2.0 m) · 17:25 (-1.9 m)3.8 m
Wed, 28 Oct00:00 (1.9 m) · 12:25 (1.8 m)05:50 (-2.0 m) · 18:10 (-2.0 m)3.9 m
Thu, 29 Oct00:45 (1.8 m) · 13:10 (1.8 m)06:30 (-1.9 m) · 18:55 (-1.9 m)3.7 m
Fri, 30 Oct01:35 (1.7 m) · 14:00 (1.7 m)07:15 (-1.6 m) · 19:50 (-1.7 m)3.4 m
Sat, 31 Oct02:35 (1.5 m) · 15:00 (1.5 m)08:10 (-1.4 m) · 21:00 (-1.6 m)3.1 m
Sun, 1 Nov03:45 (1.3 m) · 16:10 (1.4 m)09:20 (-1.1 m) · 22:15 (-1.4 m)2.8 m
Mon, 2 Nov05:05 (1.1 m) · 17:30 (1.4 m)10:40 (-0.9 m) · 23:40 (-1.4 m)2.8 m
Tue, 3 Nov06:25 (1.1 m) · 18:45 (1.4 m)12:05 (-0.9 m)2.4 m
Wed, 4 Nov07:40 (1.2 m) · 19:50 (1.6 m)00:55 (-1.5 m) · 13:20 (-1.1 m)3.1 m
Thu, 5 Nov08:35 (1.3 m) · 20:50 (1.6 m)02:00 (-1.6 m) · 14:15 (-1.2 m)3.3 m
Fri, 6 Nov09:25 (1.4 m) · 21:40 (1.7 m)02:50 (-1.7 m) · 15:05 (-1.4 m)3.4 m
Sat, 7 Nov10:10 (1.5 m) · 22:25 (1.7 m)03:30 (-1.8 m) · 15:45 (-1.5 m)3.5 m
Sun, 8 Nov10:45 (1.6 m) · 23:00 (1.7 m)04:10 (-1.8 m) · 16:25 (-1.6 m)3.4 m
Mon, 9 Nov11:20 (1.6 m) · 23:40 (1.6 m)04:45 (-1.7 m) · 17:00 (-1.6 m)3.4 m
Tue, 10 Nov11:50 (1.6 m)05:15 (-1.7 m) · 17:35 (-1.6 m)3.3 m
Wed, 11 Nov00:10 (1.6 m) · 12:20 (1.6 m)05:50 (-1.6 m) · 18:10 (-1.6 m)3.2 m
Thu, 12 Nov00:45 (1.5 m) · 12:55 (1.6 m)06:25 (-1.5 m) · 18:50 (-1.5 m)3.1 m
Fri, 13 Nov01:20 (1.4 m) · 13:30 (1.6 m)07:00 (-1.3 m) · 19:30 (-1.4 m)2.9 m
Sat, 14 Nov02:00 (1.2 m) · 14:10 (1.4 m)07:40 (-1.2 m) · 20:15 (-1.2 m)2.7 m

Nearby

Beaches and harbours using Howth tides

These spots have no gauge of their own and take their times from Howth. Each has its own page with sunrise, a 30-day calendar and local safety notes.

Portmarnock 4 kmMalahide 9 kmSutton 3 km

Nearest other gauges

Dublin 11 kmDublin City (Liffey) 12 kmBray 19 kmSkerries 22 kmWicklow 45 km

All tide times for Co. Dublin on one page.

Local pattern

Tides around Howth and the Co. Dublin coast

Dublin Bay is one of the best served stretches of coast in Ireland, with gauges at Dublin Port, Howth and on the Liffey at Tom Clarke Bridge, plus Skerries covering the north county. High water arrives at Howth a few minutes before the port and a few minutes later again at Poolbeg. The tidal range is modest by Irish standards: around 4 m on a big spring and under 2 m at neaps.

The bay is famous for how far it dries. At a spring low the sand off Sandymount, Merrion and Dollymount stretches out a kilometre or more, and the flood comes back across the flats faster than most people expect. Bull Island, the Poolbeg wall and the Shelly Banks are the spots where walkers get caught most often.

The Forty Foot, Seapoint and Vico are steep-to swimming spots where the water is deep at any state of tide, but the steps and ladders only reach the water from mid tide up. On the north side, Portmarnock, Malahide and Donabate are shelving strands that swim best in the two hours either side of high water.

Questions

About these times

What time is high tide in Howth today?

The first high water in Howth today is at 03:20 Irish time, 1.2 m above OD Malin. The second high, low waters and the week ahead are in the table above. The data comes from Marine Institute astronomical predictions for the Howth gauge.

When is low tide in Howth today?

The first low water in Howth today is at 09:05 (-1.2 m relative to OD Malin). Low water is the time for the widest strand and for rock pools; the flood usually comes back noticeably within an hour.

How many high tides does Howth get a day?

Like all of Ireland, roughly two highs and two lows in every 24 hours and 50 minutes, so tide times shift about 50 minutes later each day.

How big is the tidal range at Howth?

Over the next 30 days the range at Howth runs from about 1.5 m on the smallest neap tide to 3.9 m on the biggest spring. The 30-day calendar below shows the range for every day.

How accurate are these times?

These are astronomical predictions: the moon and sun are extremely predictable, so times are typically accurate to within minutes. Actual water levels can differ with strong winds and air pressure (storm surge). For navigation-critical decisions, always check official sources.

Reading the table

Understanding the tide table

How to read the table

Each card is one calendar day in Irish local time. High water is marked with a triangle pointing up, low water with a triangle pointing down. The height beside each time is the predicted level in metres above Ordnance Datum Malin, the same datum used on Irish Ordnance Survey maps. A bigger number means more water over the sand, the slip or the rocks.

Most days have two highs and two lows. Every so often a day has only three events. That is normal: the tidal cycle is about 12 hours 25 minutes long, so one high or low slips over midnight into the next day.

The clock runs on Europe/Dublin time, so the tables already account for the change to and from summer time. You never need to add or subtract an hour.

Spring tides and neap tides

Around full moon and new moon the sun and moon pull together and the tide swings furthest: very high highs and very low lows. These are spring tides, and they arrive roughly every two weeks all year round, nothing to do with the season. At the quarter moons the range shrinks and you get neap tides, when the water barely moves off the beach.

You can spot springs in the tables without a calendar. Look for the days where the gap between high and low is largest. Those are the mornings when the widest strand appears at low water, and the evenings when the sea comes right up to the wall.

The largest springs of the year, around the March and September equinoxes, are the ones that flood car parks and coastal roads if they coincide with an onshore gale.

Why weather changes the real level

These predictions only account for the moon and the sun. Air pressure and wind are ignored, because nobody can forecast them weeks ahead. A deep Atlantic low can lift the sea by 30 to 50 cm (a positive surge) and a strong onshore wind piles water against the coast on top of that. High pressure and offshore winds do the opposite.

In practice the times are very reliable and the heights are reliable in settled weather. In a storm, treat the predicted high water as a floor rather than a ceiling, and add the surge that Met Éireann mentions in the sea area forecast.

Best times for swimming, walking and fishing

Swimmers on a shelving beach usually want the hour either side of high water, when the water is deep close in and you are not wading out over 100 m of sand. At steep-to spots such as harbour steps or the Forty Foot, mid tide to high tide is safest because the ladder still reaches the water.

Walkers, rock poolers and dog owners want low water. Aim to arrive an hour before the predicted low, which gives you two hours of falling and slack water before the flood starts to come back in. On sand flats and around tidal islands the flood can return faster than walking pace, so know your low water time before you set off.

Shore anglers generally fish the last two hours of the flood and the first hour of the ebb. Boat owners need the height as much as the time: a slip that dries at 1.0 m is unusable at a 0.6 m low.

Sources

Sources and method

Every time and height on this page is an astronomical prediction from the Marine Institute of Ireland for the Howth tide gauge, taken from the open IMI_TidePrediction_HighLow dataset on the Institute’s ERDDAP server. We download the data and rebuild every page each night, convert the UTC timestamps to Irish local time (IST in summer, GMT in winter) and group them into calendar days. Nothing is estimated or smoothed by us.

Heights are metres above Ordnance Datum Malin, the reference used on Irish charts and Ordnance Survey maps. To compare with a chart that uses Lowest Astronomical Tide, add the local LAT to OD Malin offset shown on the chart.

Data licence: CC BY 4.0, Marine Institute. Page rebuilt 16 October 2026. Predictions ignore weather: onshore gales and low pressure can add half a metre or more to the real level. For navigation use official Admiralty or Irish Lights publications alongside this page.

Elsewhere on the coast

More tide times

All of Co. DublinDublinGalwayCorkCo. KerryCo. DonegalSalthillTramorePortmarnockSpring and neap tide dates