被苏东坡誉为“八月十八潮，壮观天下无”的中国钱塘潮与巴西亚马逊潮、印度恒河潮并称世界三大涌潮，是天体引力和地球自转的离心作用，加上杭州湾喇叭口的特殊地形所造成的特大涌潮。
The Qiantang River in east China’s Zhejiang Province is home to one of the world’s three most impressive tidal events, with waves reaching as high as 30 feet (nine meters), about the height of a three-story building. The other two places with seasonal monstrous waves are the Amazon River in Brazil and the Ganges River in India.
2018年9月27日，
潮水从海宁市盐官一线潮观潮点滚滚而过，
吸引了各地的游客观看。
还有游客自备长梯，等待看潮水...
比潮水更壮观的，或许还有不远万里慕名而来、为了一睹大自然奇观的热心游客们。今年，据浙江省海宁市旅游、宣传等部门的初步统计，沿江一线观景地27日当天共吸引了超过15.7万游客驻足观看。
A total of 157,000 tourists witnessed the bores along the Qiantang River on Thursday, according to the local tourism authorities in Haining City.
由于受月球和太阳引力的影响，潮之强弱呈现规律性变化，每月的农历初一至初五、十六至二十均为大潮日，一年有120多个观潮佳日。其中，每年的农历八月十五过后，在差不多为期4天的时间里是观赏钱塘潮的最佳时期。春分和秋分两个节气前后，涌潮更为壮观。
浙江省海宁盐官镇为观潮第一胜地，故亦称"海宁潮"。观海宁潮不限于农历八月十八，海宁潮一天二次，白天称潮，夜间称汐，昼夜间隔12小时。
2017年10月6日，
在杭州萧山美女坝观潮点，
汹涌的“回头潮”冲上堤岸，
掀起2米多高的巨浪。
2011年9月12日，
浙江海宁盐官的钱塘江出现“一线潮”壮观景象，
潮头涌高达到了1.4米。
The perfect time for tidal sightseeing falls around four days before and after the fifteenth day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. But those who cannot make it around this time of the year should not worry. There are more than 120 days year-round when daredevils can catch the sights of the massive waves traveling fast and furiously.
The town of Yanguan in Haining City provides one of the best viewing platforms to witness the wonderful moment the incoming high tide and the outgoing tide collide in a narrow channel and make a tremendous wave.
除了领略白天一线潮水的壮观，据说在半夜观潮更是别有一番景象。观潮公园是听夜潮的最好地点，还可以登上占鳌塔从高点俯瞰，不过要早点去才能占到好位置。
People can watch the bores not only during daytime, but also in the evening, enjoying the view while avoiding the crowds.
“定知玉兔十分圆，已作霜风九月寒。
寄语重门休上钥，夜潮留向月中看。”
中秋观潮的风俗由来已久，早在汉代枚乘的《七发》一文中就有相当详尽的记述。汉以后此风更盛，在宋代达到了空前的巅峰。
Watching the Qiantang River tidal bore is an ancient and popular Mid-Autumn Festival tradition going as far back in time as 2,000 years, especially during the Song Dynasty. Many in east China are still keen on enjoying the natural wonder with the full moon in the background.
钱塘江冲浪赛是世界上唯一的内河冲浪赛事，它打破了冲浪只是一项海洋运动的大众认知，创造了“内河冲浪”这一独特的概念，成为一项具有独特魅力的世界级冲浪赛事。
因为钱塘江水是淡水和海水的混合体，浮力和海洋不一样，加上钱塘江水含沙量特别大，给冲浪选手带来一个很大的挑战。在钱塘江里冲浪，需要两名选手配合完成。
据了解，为积极备战2020年东京奥运会冲浪项目比赛，去年国家体育总局已正式将“国家冲浪集训队”落户杭州，并加速筹建冲浪基地。除了这些“弄潮儿”们，今年还有专业的跑步选手、自行车选手、轮滑选手和滑板选手应邀参与追潮挑战赛，和大自然奇观比试了一番。
The Qiantang River tidal bore is an exciting phenomenon not only for onlookers, but also professional surfers. Eighteen surfers from nine countries gathered earlier in Hangzhou and Haining for an international surfing competition, seizing the opportunity to ride the massive waves.
Because of the depth and sand content of the Qiantang River, surfers have to join the competition in pairs. Many surfers said riding river tides differs from surfing in their familiar habitat, which was quite challenging.
据海宁市盐官镇水文站监测，总体来说，今年钱塘江潮水势头略逊于往年，但流速还是很快，对江堤两岸的冲击力不小。27日，潮高超过1.55米，台风“潭美”的逐步逼近也为这次潮水“加了量”。
历年来，钱江潮卷人事件时有发生，请不要到没有安全防护措施的堤坝观潮，更不要越过防护栏到江滩上观潮。
2016年7月25日，杭州钱塘江边，一名男子为捡眼镜，擅自跳下江堤摔断腰椎，动弹不得。
2014年8月15日，
钱江潮水在杭州九溪江堤掀起巨浪，瞬间打湿了观潮者。
2011年8月31日，老盐仓“回头潮”在台风的作用下，
掀起巨大的潮水将几百观潮客和一辆汽车冲到海塘脚下。
Safety always comes first when witnessing the tsunami-like phenomenon. The tidal wave seemed slightly less strong compared with previous years, according to Haining hydrologic station. However, when the waves gather their momentum on the Qiantang River, they could still travel at speeds of up to 43 kilometers (25 miles) per hour, or around 12 meters feet) per second, according to reports, with the recent typhoon Trami adding another layer of risk.
提醒：观赏钱塘潮的同时，一定要注意安全！