Understanding High and Low Tides

[slider66]

Hello,

Can someone shed some light on low tide for me? Lets say that on a tide chart the low tide time at a specific beach location says
11 am. What would be the best time to arrive at the beach to catch the true low tide line? Would it be several hours before, an hour before or what?

Thanks for any help.

 

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[ron lord]

2 hours before and 2 hours after. I like hunting from 10 AM to about 2 PM know matter what the tide is. That the time when most of the people are there.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Unlike Ron, I try and catch low tides when NOBODY is there to get in my way. If low tide is at 6am, I am there from 500am - 800am. If low tide is at 100pm on a busy beach day, I blow it off. Basic rule of thumb (for me), is one- or two- hours before and after low tide. Dry sand and high-tide waterline hunting very early morning or late afternoon-evening after the crowds have left.

 

[slider66]

Unlike Ron, I try and catch low tides when NOBODY is there to get in my way. If low tide is at 6am, I am there from 500am - 800am. If low tide is at 100pm on a busy beach day, I blow it off. Basic rule of thumb (for me), is one- or two- hours before and after low tide. Dry sand and high-tide waterline hunting very early morning or late afternoon-evening after the crowds have left.

Thank you for your post. I found a target today in Ft. Pierce. Had a really hard time finding it with my new SEF 10x12 coil on my minelab 1000. The tide changed and I started having serious problems finding it with the new coil. I have marked it and will go back in the morning. I hope it is not a bottle cap or a sinker LOL. I have to go back just so I know what it was or it would drive me crazy.

 

[slider66]

Thanks Ron. I appreciate your response.

 

[slider66]

Thank you for your response Terry. Best regards.

Garry

 

[Jolly Mon]

Hello,

Can someone shed some light on low tide for me? Lets say that on a tide chart the low tide time at a specific beach location says
11 am. What would be the best time to arrive at the beach to catch the true low tide line? Would it be several hours before, an hour before or what?

Thanks for any help.

It depends on your location and the tidal phase (which can vary considerably throughout year).

By "true low tide line", you probably mean MLW (Mean Low Water). NOAA's definition for this is: "The average of all the low water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch".

Here are a couple of different tide charts, the first from Jensen Beach, the second from Blackbeard Island, GA.
When the tidal height in feet is 0.0, that is MLW. When the tidal height in feet has a negative number, the tide is that number of feet below MLW.
What is important to remember is the amount of moving water at a given location.




As you can see, at Jensen Beach this time of the lunar phase, there is a maximum of around 1.5 feet of moving water per tidal swing(roughly 6 hours or so.) This is not much. The speed it will cover and uncover the beach is dependent on beach slope, but in general, you can be assured that the water moves very slowly and so you have plenty around the times of low tide to detect.






Contrast this with Blackbeard Island, Ga., where there can be 7.5 feet or more of moving water between the same tidal swing. In locations like these the beach will cover and uncover MUCH more rapidly, so that you would probably want to arrive at your location considerably earlier.

The bottom line is that everything is dependent on your geographic location and the tidal phase.

 

[tarpon192]

It depends on your location and the tidal phase (which can vary considerably throughout year).

By "true low tide line", you probably mean MLW (Mean Low Water). NOAA's definition for this is: "The average of all the low water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch".

Here are a couple of different tide charts, the first from Jensen Beach, the second from Blackbeard Island, GA.
When the tidal height in feet is 0.0, that is MLW. When the tidal height in feet has a negative number, the tide is that number of feet below MLW.
What is important to remember is the amount of moving water at a given location.


View attachment 928329

As you can see, at Jensen Beach this time of the lunar phase, there is a maximum of around 1.5 feet of moving water per tidal swing(roughly 6 hours or so.) This is not much. The speed it will cover and uncover the beach is dependent on beach slope, but in general, you can be assured that the water moves very slowly and so you have plenty around the times of low tide to detect.



View attachment 928330


Contrast this with Blackbeard Island, Ga., where there can be 7.5 feet or more of moving water between the same tidal swing. In locations like these the beach will cover and uncover MUCH more rapidly, so that you would probably want to arrive at your location considerably earlier.

The bottom line is that everything is dependent on your geographic location and the tidal phase.

Jolly mon could not have said, or showed it any better. The moon play's it's part - phase and position.

 

[slider66]

It depends on your location and the tidal phase (which can vary considerably throughout year).

By "true low tide line", you probably mean MLW (Mean Low Water). NOAA's definition for this is: "The average of all the low water heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch".

Here are a couple of different tide charts, the first from Jensen Beach, the second from Blackbeard Island, GA.
When the tidal height in feet is 0.0, that is MLW. When the tidal height in feet has a negative number, the tide is that number of feet below MLW.
What is important to remember is the amount of moving water at a given location.


View attachment 928329

As you can see, at Jensen Beach this time of the lunar phase, there is a maximum of around 1.5 feet of moving water per tidal swing(roughly 6 hours or so.) This is not much. The speed it will cover and uncover the beach is dependent on beach slope, but in general, you can be assured that the water moves very slowly and so you have plenty around the times of low tide to detect.



View attachment 928330


Contrast this with Blackbeard Island, Ga., where there can be 7.5 feet or more of moving water between the same tidal swing. In locations like these the beach will cover and uncover MUCH more rapidly, so that you would probably want to arrive at your location considerably earlier.

The bottom line is that everything is dependent on your geographic location and the tidal phase.

Very nice. Thank you. This is what I have been looking for. Have a nice weekend.

 

[sponge]

Yep nothing like a new moon with some sand cutting chunkers coming in. I like it when the tide reaches out and starts changing the landscape.

 

[GatorBoy]

I found that spending a lifetime from an early age fishing the Florida east coast was a huge help when it came to this.

 

[slider66]

Yeh, grew up in Broward County, went fishing in the Everglades, 400 bass in an afternoon back then was routine. Salt water fishing in Chokoloskee fl near Naples was unbelievable when I was a kid. Snook, Redfish and trout until you couldn't catch anymore. Life was good back then.