The best coastal photos happen in an hour of low, warm light — and the tide is usually coming in at the same time. Set the date and your latitude and see exactly when the light turns gold.
Pick a place to set the latitude, or drag the slider yourself.
Positive = Northern Hemisphere, negative = Southern.
We use the standard approximations: solar declination δ ≈ 23.44° · sin( 360°·(284+N)/365 ), where N is the day of year. The hour angle of sunrise/sunset comes from cos(H) = −tan(lat)·tan(δ). Sunrise = 12 − H/15 h, sunset = 12 + H/15 h (local solar time). Golden hour is roughly the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset; civil twilight ends when the sun is 6° below the horizon.
Times are local solar time, not your wall clock — they ignore your exact longitude and the equation of time, so treat them as within ~20–30 minutes. They also assume a flat horizon: cliffs, headlands and hills can hide the sun earlier. Fine for planning a photo walk, not for navigation.
Morning golden light is soft and low — shoot toward the sea for backlit surf. Evening golden hour is warmer; a low sun behind a headland gives silhouettes. Blue hour (just after sunset) suits reflections on wet sand and calm tide pools.