What are spring tides?

Spring tides are super strong tides that happen when the moon and sun work together to pull the ocean really hard.

Imagine you're playing with a big ball of water, the ocean. The moon is like your best friend who pulls it gently every night, making the water go up and down. Then the sun comes along, like another friend who also likes to pull the water. When both friends pull in the same direction, either both pushing the water up or both pulling it down, that’s when you get the strongest tides, called spring tides.

Even though the word spring makes you think of flowers and bouncing, it actually comes from an old word meaning "to jump" or "to rise." So spring tides are like big jumps in the water, when the ocean goes really high or really low.

These special tides happen twice a month, right around the time the moon is full or new. That’s when the sun and moon are lined up with Earth, making their pull even stronger!