What Causes the ‘Tides’ and How Do They Change?

The moon pulls on the oceans like a giant magnet. Imagine you're holding a balloon filled with water, and someone far away pulls it, that’s what happens to Earth's oceans when the moon tugs on them. This pull makes the water rise in some places and fall in others, causing tides. When the moon is directly above or below us, we get high and low tides. Sometimes the sun also helps, like when you're being pulled by two friends at once!