Of all the variables that affect boating, one of the greatest is the different tide changes throughout the day. For boaters, most already know the obvious impacts of how high or low the tide is when it comes to travelling the marine waters on a boat or a ship. Impacts such as the amount of water that you can expect to find under your keel and which way you can expect to lay when at anchor. In this article, you will get to know the four essential types of tides that boaters need to understand and familiarise themselves with how to read a tide table.

The Different Types of Tide

Why do tides happen? Well, you can blame the moon and the sun’s movement revolving around the earth. For example, when the gravity from the moon and sun are pulling together on the earth, we experience high tides.

High Tide

A high tide occurs when the water depth of the ocean is at its maximum. So why does high tide occur? It happens when the moon is directly above a certain location and the gravitational force is at its strongest. High tide is the best for boaters to navigate the sea because it allows the boat to enter waters and harbours without risks such as running a boat aground as opposed to the low tide which makes some harbours inaccessible.

Low Tide

Low tide happens at a point in a day when the water depth is at its lowest. It occurs when the moon is at 90 degrees to a location, exerting the weakest gravitational force. This is the point during the day when the water depth is at its lowest. This can be precarious for boaters to navigate their boats since obstructions underwater can collide with passing boats causing accidents to happen.

Spring Tide

Despite the name, spring tides have nothing to do with the seasons. They occur twice per lunar month when the sun and moon align throughout the year. The term spring tide is derived from the phrase “springing forth,” describing how the tide range is exceptionally vast at this time. During a spring tide, high tides are higher and low tides are lower than usual.

Neap Tide

Neap tides are the period in the lunar month when the lowest tides occur. A neap tide happens seven days after a spring tide when the moon and sun are at right angles to each other. They occur on the first and third quarter moon when it appears half full. High tides are a little lower than usual and low tides are a little higher than average.

Tidal Currents

Aside from knowing the different tides that happen in a month, you also need to understand tidal currents. Currents are the movement of water moving on a steady flow in a certain direction. For example, as the water moves towards high tide, a flood current happens. When the water flows out toward low tide, an ebb current happens. When the water is neither flowing in nor out, slack tide happens. Slack tides can last for just a few seconds or up to a few minutes, depending on your location.

Understanding the tides and tidal currents is an essential skill for any boater. Tidal currents can run at very high speeds, making boat handling more complex, so tackling tricky harbour entries or difficult passages in your plate boat or difficult passages is always better to be timed with slack water if possible.

Understanding Tide Tables

By now, you should have realized that if you are boating in a tidal area, then knowing how to understand the types of tides and currents is an important aspect. To help you determine the tides on certain days, you would need a tide table. A tide table shows the overview of tide transitions throughout the day.

Luckily for us boaters, help is at hand in the form of tide tables. One point to mention here is that tide tables are only predictions based on the moon and sun phases. Atmospheric conditions and weather can change the tides quite markedly. Now is also an excellent time to remind new boaters of the importance of checking the weather forecast before you head out onto the water.

However, when you first view a tide table, it might not look too obvious but you’ll quickly get used to them with a little bit of practice.

Always familiarize yourself with the seascape you’ll be navigating and try to have access to a tide chart whenever you’re out on the water. Tide charts or tables help boaters predict the sea levels of any coastal region at any time of day. Learn how to read them and you’re far less likely to experience issues and continue travelling through the ocean for a day of fishing in your Stacer Crossfire.