It’s officially horseshoe crab season in Delaware!

The Delaware Bay is the largest spawning area in the world for horseshoe crabs, and every spring from May to late June, tens of thousands of horseshoe crabs will lay their eggs on the shores of the Delaware Bay. You don’t want to miss it. 

While I cannot guarantee that there will be lots of horseshoe crabs on any given date, here are my recommendations for the best days to see horseshoe crabs in Delaware this year.

The best days to see horseshoe crabs in 2020:

These dates are based on when new moons and full moons happen in the months of May and June, 2019. Check a tide chart, and time your horseshoe crab hunting at night at high tide. I like this tide chart from US Harbors, and I set the location as Bowers Beach, Delaware. I recommend getting tho the beach about 30 minutes before the scheduled high tide.

 

May 7-9: Full Moon

May 19-25: New Moon

June 3-8: Full Moon

June 18-23: New Moon

 

Sunset High Tide Dates: 

These are the dates when high tide, new/full moon, and sunset happen all at the same time. These are going to be some of the best days to photograph horseshoe crabs because there will still be light outside.

Monday, May 4 (This day might be a little too early in the year to see many crabs)

Tuesday, May 19-Wednesday, May 20

Thursday, June 18-Friday, June 19

 

How to See Horseshoe Crabs

Now that you know when to see the horseshoe crabs, I also wrote an entire blog about how to see them, and you can check that out here. 

 

Horseshoe Crab Water Bottles

Celebrate horseshoe crab season with a reusable horseshoe crab water bottle! I worked with Liberty Bottles to design a special collection of coastal Delaware-themed water bottles. These are my favorite water bottles, and I literally use them everyday. They are beautiful, durable, and perfect for horseshoe crab season. Learn more about horseshoe crab water bottles.

 

Happy horseshoe crab season!