Tied to the Tides
A Life Shaped by the Rhythm of the Oregon Coast
Living on the coast doesn’t mean simply existing beside the ocean. When you live and work on the Oregon Coast, of course your life is dictated by drastic weather patterns, both season to season, week to week, moment by moment and in all reality, just town to town (so many microclimates!).
But for me, more than the weather, it’s the tides that set the pace of my life. They’re the pulse that shapes not just when I do things, but what I do. One moment I’m foraging at a negative low tide, the next I’m fishing during slack water, and as the tide rises, I might be paddling out to surf. My days are either surrounded by or submerged in saltwater, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This means I wake up knowing the shape of my day is dictated by the movement of the sea. It means planning meals and meetings around low tide, pushing off a meeting or skipping breakfast just to catch a good window. It means always having a pair of boots and a raincoat ready, and probably some seaweed in my car. Even as a kid dreaming of becoming a marine biologist, I never imagined how deeply intertwined my life would become with the movement of the ocean. But now, this inconsistent pattern is a natural force I have to collaborate with daily.
While most people live by the steady rhythm of a 9–5 workday, my schedule flows with the tide. Literally. My work isn’t ruled by the clock, but by the ever shifting pull of the moon and sea. Some days start before sunrise, others stretch past sunset, all depending on when the tide is right. Some days are fast paced and physically demanding, driven by a narrow tidal window that leaves little room for a slow pace. Higher low tide days bring the slower pace, allowing for planning, prep, or catch-up work while the ocean rests in between shifts. No two days are the same, and there’s no such thing as a “typical” workweek.
This lifestyle requires flexibility, patience, and an ongoing relationship with the natural world. I have to read tide charts the way others read meeting schedules. The moon phases are just as important to me as a calendar. It’s not always super straight forward, but it’s deeply rewarding, and I wouldn’t trade it for any office job in the world.
The tides have shaped me and continue to do so every day. They’ve taught me to be patient, resilient, adaptive, and in constant conversation with change. It’s a cliché, sure, but really “the only constant is change” rings truer than ever. That’s honestly what keeps me so excited and stoked to do what I do, even if it appears like I may do the “same” thing many days back to back. In reality, no two days around the tides are the same, and that’s the best part of this salty, shifting, sea-driven life.
