What are high tides?

High tides are when the water in the ocean gets really high and reaches up to the shore, like when you're playing at the beach and the waves come all the way to your feet.

Imagine the Earth is floating next to a giant, powerful friend named the Moon. The Moon pulls on the Earth just like you pull on a toy car with a string. This pulling makes the water in the ocean bulge out, kind of like when you stretch a balloon and it gets bigger in one spot.

When that bulge happens near the shore, boom! You get a high tide. It's like when you're at the beach and suddenly the waves are taller than before, you might even need to step back to avoid getting wet!

High tides come around twice every day, usually about 12 hours apart. Sometimes, if the Moon is extra close or the Sun helps pull the water too, the high tide can be super big, like when you get a really strong push from both sides at once!