Water
Four different questions, four different answers. The first two are about water reaching you. The last two are about you going out on it.
Water near you
Official tide predictions, the water level being measured right now, and any coastal flood alert in effect. For anyone the tide reaches.
Check the tide → Rivers River levels and flood stageWhat the nearest river gauges are reading, against the flood stages the National Weather Service has defined for them, with the official forecast when a river is rising.
Check the river →Going out on it
The marine forecast for the water off your coast: seas and the swell behind them, wind, and whether a Small Craft Advisory is in effect. The one question is whether to go out.
Check the seas → Surfing Surf height and rip current riskThe Surf Zone Forecast for your beaches: breaking surf height, rip current risk, water temperature and the wind, with the swell separated into groundswell and chop.
Check the surf →Everything on these four pages comes from the National Weather Service, NOAA tide stations and NDBC buoys, shown as issued and attributed. None of it replaces the call your local officials make.