What are neap tides?

Neap tides are when the ocean doesn’t rise and fall as much as usual, it's like a sleepy day at the beach.

Imagine you're playing with two big balloons tied to your hands. When both balloons are full, they pull your arms apart a lot. But if one balloon is full and the other is empty, your arms don't move as much. That’s what happens with neap tides, it's like when the moon and the sun aren’t working together to pull the ocean.

The moon pulls on the ocean, making high tides. The sun also pulls a little bit. When they both pull in the same direction, like two friends pushing a swing, you get really big tides, called spring tides. But when the sun and moon pull in opposite directions, it's like one friend pushing and the other pulling, things balance out, and that’s neap tides.

On days with neap tides, the water doesn’t go as high or as low. It’s like when you're tired after playing all day, the ocean takes it easy and just gently moves up and down.