I know I should know all this stuff by now but.... either I forget or just didn't know it in the first place. Could someone please explain what the circled area in this tide chart means? I understand everything else but dont know what that area is telling me.
Whites Surfmaster PI Pro and Whites Surfmaster PI, Minelab Excal NY blue sword. 2 White's Dual field pi, Garrett sea hunter pi II (but don't use it for obvious reasons) 5' x 3 1/2' coil underwater Pi
If it was 0.0, that is what is called mean low water, not necessarily low tide, but the average medium that they use for charting marine charts. So if it says the high hightide would be 3.0 and the low low tide would be -1.0 the difference would be 4 feet. Usually the high high is higher than the low low is low, because of this mean low water. There are usually 4 tides a day, seperated by a little less than 6 hours apart, like 15 minutes less, per tide, for a moon day of 23 hours, and a sun day of 24 hours. There is a high high and a lower high, and a low low and a not so low low. You have to watch that too. The moon has more pull on the tide, and the sun has some, but not as much. When the moon gets in phase with the sun, and rises and sets with the sun, and both go around pretty much together, which happens about 1 time every 45 days or so, it is called a Spring tide, and tides are stronger currents and higher and lower tides. Weak tides when the moon and sun are far apart, are called neap tides, and usually the 4 tide day is now almost a 2 tide day when it is a neap tide, and the tidal difference isnt as much as normal. This also happens about every 45 days. Also when a cold front or strong winds blow offshore and teams with a spring low, it is extremely low tide. And the opposite, when a hurricane blows on shore, and it is a spring high, it is very high. Just remember the tides are about an hour later each day, as the day before. So they are very predictable, but you have to know the variable which can effect the heights too. If it says low tide is 0.2, that means it is 2/10ths of a foot above mean low. -0.2 means 2/10ths below mean low. high is usually without a +, but low usually has a -, but not always.
Hi MZ Hope all is well, haven't seen you post in a while! Around the full and new (or no moon) the tides are usually the strongest or they are Astronomically high and low that will go way out at low tide, I love it when its a - tide! All so this is the best time for storms, the high tide will cause beach erosion and hopefully sand removal and not sand build up! Hope this helps!!
That looks real helpful. Can you get those for anywhere. I will be headed for Myrtle Beach at the end of March and the first of April so like to have one to see what time it would be best to hunt the beach......Matt
Whites Surfmaster PI Pro and Whites Surfmaster PI, Minelab Excal NY blue sword. 2 White's Dual field pi, Garrett sea hunter pi II (but don't use it for obvious reasons) 5' x 3 1/2' coil underwater Pi
You can find websites for most any area, and any date/year. Tides are so predictable, they have them set up way ahead. But remember what I said about all the varibles. They do figure the spring and neap tides in the charts too.