Western Australia Tide Times

About Western Australia's tides

Western Australia's tides split sharply north and south. The Kimberley and Pilbara are macro-tidal — Derby's King Sound has the largest tides in Australia at around 11 metres, Broome runs 9–10 on the springs, and the whole northern fishery lives or dies by the run. South of about Shark Bay the range collapses: Perth, Mandurah and the south coast mostly move under a metre, and tide matters less than swell and wind.

For fishing, the tide that counts isn't the height — it's the movement. Bait and predators work the run-in and run-out, and slack water goes quiet. Each spot page shows the next 14 days of tides, the day's best bite window, and whether you're on a spring or a neap.

Common tide & swell questions

Where are the biggest tides in Western Australia?

Derby, on the Kimberley's King Sound, has the largest tides in Australia — up to about 11 metres between low and high. Broome runs 9–10 metres on the springs, and the Pilbara ports (Port Hedland, Karratha, Dampier) sit around 4–7 metres. The range shrinks the further south you go.

Why are northern WA tides so much bigger than Perth's?

It's the shape of the coast and the continental shelf. The broad, shallow shelf off the Kimberley and Pilbara funnels and amplifies the tide, so the range builds to enormous heights up north. Perth and the south-west sit on a narrow shelf with small, mixed tides — usually under a metre.

What is the tidal range in Perth?

Small. Perth's metro beaches and the Swan River usually move well under a metre a day, in a mixed, mostly diurnal pattern. Tide still shapes the bite at spots like the Fremantle moles and the river, but day to day, swell and wind matter more than tidal height.

What is the best tide for fishing?

The moving water, not the height. Most species feed hardest on the run-in and run-out, when current pushes bait around, and go quiet at slack water. The 90 minutes either side of a tide change is the classic window — each spot page below shows the day's best bite window alongside the tide times.

Where does Perth's swell come from?

Almost all of it is Southern Ocean groundswell — long-period energy generated by storms tracking between the Cape and the Bight, arriving from the south-west. That's why the exposed south-west facing coast (Margaret River, Yallingup, Denmark) cops the biggest surf, while the metro beaches receive a filtered version of the same swell.

Why is the swell smaller at Perth beaches than the forecast says?

Forecast numbers are open-ocean swell at the nearest offshore model cell. Perth's metro coast sits behind Rottnest, Garden Island, and a chain of reefs that strip out a large share of that energy before it reaches the sand — a 3 m open-water swell can arrive at Cottesloe as barely 1 m. Protected water inside Cockburn Sound or the river sees almost none of it.

What swell size is safe for rock fishing?

Treat anything much over 1.5 m of open-ocean swell as a no-go on exposed ledges and groynes, and remember period matters: a 2 m swell at 16 seconds hits far harder than 2 m at 8 seconds. Never turn your back on the water, wear a lifejacket on the rocks, and if the wash is reaching your feet, you're standing in the wrong spot.

Is bigger swell better for fishing?

Up to a point. A moderate swell stirs the water, digs out gutters, and gets tailor, salmon, and mulloway feeding along the beaches — flat, clear days are usually harder work. Past about 3 m most beaches turn into unfishable white water and floating weed, and the fish don't hang around to admire it either.