Tides

What Causes Tides?

Gravitational effects of the moon (and sun) which exert a pull on the
water on the Earth's surface.

What terms have you heard relating to tides?

Spring
High
Stand
Flood
Ebb
Slack
Range
Low
Neap
 TIDES

Moon

Earth Sun
 TIDES - SPRINGS

New
Moon
Earth
Sun
 TIDES - SPRINGS

Earth
Sun
Full
Moon
 TIDES - NEAPS

Neaps

Sun
Earth

Neaps

First Quarter
 TIDES - NEAPS

Last Quarter

Neaps

Sun
Earth

Neaps
 TIDE TABLE
GMT

0456 5.8 m HW Range

18 4.1
1205 1.7 m LW metres
TH
1727 5.9 m
 TIDE TABLE
Add an hour for
British Summer Time

0556 5.8 m
18
1305 1.7 m
TH
1827 5.9 m
 TIDAL HEIGHTS - DEFINITIONS

Charted
height

MHWS
MHWN

Depth of water
MLWN
MLWS
Drying
height
Chart Datum
Charted depth
(sounding)
 TIDAL DIAMONDS & DATUMS

Tidal streams referred to HW at PLYMOUTH

 TIDAL DIAMONDS & DATUMS

3 hours before
HW
Springs
2.9 kn
Neaps
Stream setting 1.5 kn
towards 318(T)
TIDAL CURVE
 TIDAL CURVE
Use curve to find:
Height of tide at Dartmouth at 1415

Look up time and height of HW Dartmouth and height of LW

HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m
Is it Neaps or Springs? Close to Springs
 TIDAL CURVE
HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m

HW height 4.8m entered here

LW height 0.7m entered here

 TIDAL CURVE
HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m

Draw a line joining the points

 TIDAL CURVE
HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m

Write time of HW in box below

1815
 TIDAL CURVE
HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m

Write subsequent hours in boxes

1415 1515 1615 1715 1815

 TIDAL CURVE
HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m

Draw vertical line from 1415

to spring curve

1415 1515 1615 1715 1815

 TIDAL CURVE
HW Dartmouth 1815 BST 4.8m LW 0.7m

Draw horizontal line from

curve to diagonal line

1415 1515 1615 1715 1815

 TIDAL CURVE
Height of tide at 1415 = 2.9m

Draw perpendicular to HW line

1415 1515 1615 1715 1815

 RULE OF TWELFTHS

1st hour 1/12

2nd hour 2/12

3rd hour 3/12

4th hour 3/12

5th hour 2/12

6th hour 1/12

HW +1h +2h +3h +4h +5h LW
 SECONDARY PORTS

National Standard Port

DOVER
Standard Port examples
Portsmouth
Plymouth (Devonport)
Secondary port examples
Fowey
Torquay
DOVER
Portsmouth Differences on Plymouth HW
Fowey Torquay Fowey = Plymouth minus 15mins
Plymouth d
Fl oo Torquay = Plymouth plus 45mins
Ti de
SECONDARY PORTS - TIMES & HEIGHTS
Standard Port PLYMOUTH
Times Heights in Metres
High Water Low Water MHWS MHWN MLWN MLWS
0000 0600 0000 0600 5.5 4.4 2.2 0.8
1200 1800 1200 1800
Differences FOWEY
- 0010 - 0015 - 0010 - 0005 - 0.1 - 0.1 - 0.2 - 0.2

Standard Port PLYMOUTH

Times Heights in Metres
High Water Low Water MHWS MHWN MLWN MLWS
0100 0600 0100 0600 5.5 4.4 2.2 0.8
1300 1800 1300 1800
Differences TORQUAY
+ 0025 + 0045 + 0010 0000 - 0.6 - 0.7 - 0.2 - 0.1
INTERPRETING THE 'DIFFERENCES BLOCK'
Standard Port PLYMOUTH
Times Heights in Metres
High Water Low Water MHWS MHWN MLWN MLWS
0100 0600 0100 0600 5.5 4.4 2.2 0.8
1300 1800 1300 1800
Differences TORQUAY
+ 0025 + 0045 + 0010 0000 - 0.6 - 0.7 - 0.2 - 0.1

Time 0100 0200 0300 0400 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 1300
Diff
INTERPRETING THE 'DIFFERENCES BLOCK'
Standard Port PLYMOUTH
Times Heights in Metres
High Water Low Water MHWS MHWN MLWN MLWS
0100 0600 0100 0600 5.5 4.4 2.2 0.8
1300 1800 1300 1800
Differences TORQUAY
+ 0025 + 0045 + 0010 0000 - 0.6 - 0.7 - 0.2 - 0.1

Time 0100 0200 0300 0400 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 1300
Diff +25 +45 +25
INTERPRETING THE 'DIFFERENCES BLOCK'
Standard Port PLYMOUTH
Times Heights in Metres
High Water Low Water MHWS MHWN MLWN MLWS
0100 0600 0100 0600 5.5 4.4 2.2 0.8
1300 1800 1300 1800
Differences TORQUAY
+ 0025 + 0045 + 0010 0000 - 0.6 - 0.7 - 0.2 - 0.1

Time 0100 0200 0300 0400 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 1300
Diff +25 +29 +33 +37 +41 +45 +42 +39 +36 +34 +31 +28 +25
 INTERPOLATION

Torquay 30th May When is HW in the morning?

Standard Port Plymouth (Devonport) HW 0320 UT
Difference approx +35 mins HW Torquay 0355

0600
0500
0400
0300
0200
0100
+0025 +0030 +0035 +0040 +0045
Time Differences (min) Torquay
TIDAL STREAM ATLAS

4 hours after
HW PORTSMOUTH

Atlas gives
Direction &
Rate
of tidal stream
for each hour
TIDAL STREAM ATLAS

4 hours after
HW PORTSMOUTH

Short and thin

arrows show
weak stream

Thick and long

arrows show
strong stream
 TIDAL STREAM ATLAS

Stream
03,05
Slack
Rate of stream
0.3 kn at Neaps
0.5 kn at Springs

Rate of stream
1.2 kn at Neaps
12,23
2.3 kn at Springs