Tides and Tidal Currents

Tide is the vertical rise and fall of the ocean water level caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon. A tidal current is the horizontal motion of water resulting from the change in the tide. It is different from ocean currents, river currents, or those created by the wind. Tidal currents are of particular concern in boat operations.

NOTE

Current direction is the compass heading toward which the water moves.

Flood current is the horizontal motion of water toward the land, caused by a rising tide. Ebb current is the horizontal motion away from the land, caused by a falling tide. Slack water is the period that occurs while the current is changing direction and has no horizontal motion. An outgoing or ebb current running across a bar builds up a more intense sea than the incoming or flood current. The intense sea results because the rush of water out against the incoming ground swell slows the wave speed and steepens the wave prematurely.

Longshore currents run parallel to the shore and inside the breakers. They are the result of the water transported to the beach by the waves.

CAUTION !

Pay close attention to longshore currents. They can cause a boat to broach or the object of a search to move further than expected.

Eddy currents (eddies) occur at channel bends, near points of land, and at places where the bottom is uneven.

CAUTION !

Watch for and avoid eddies. They can abruptly change speed and steering control of boats.

Wind affects the speed of currents. Sustained wind in the same direction as the current increases the speed of the current by a small amount. Wind in the opposite direction slows it down and may create a chop. A very strong wind, blowing directly into the mouth of an inlet or bay, can produce an unusually high tide by piling up the water. Similarly, a very strong wind blowing out of a bay can cause an unusually low tide and change the time of the high or low tide.

When going with the current, a boat’s speed over ground is faster than the speed/RPM indication. When going against the current, a boat’s speed over ground is slower than the speed/RPM indication.

When working in current, the boat’s maneuverability depends on its speed through the water. Although a boat has significant speed in relation to fixed objects (e.g., a pier) when going with the current, a boat lacks maneuverability unless there is sufficient water flow past the rudder. When going into the current, maneuverability is usually improved as long as enough headway is maintained. However, at slow speeds, even a small change in course can have the bow swing greatly as the water flow pushes on one side of the bow.

When crossing the current to compensate for the set, a boat may be put into a crab (i.e., the boat may be forced off course by the current or wind). Because of this maneuver, the boat heading and the actual course made good will be different. When the boat is crabbing, the heading will not be the intended course of the boat. Therefore, navigate the current or wind by sighting on a fixed object (such as a range) or by marking the bearing drift on an object in line with the destination.

The change of direction of the tidal current always lags behind the turning of the tide. This difference occurs by a time period that varies according to the physical characteristics of the land around the body of water, as well as the bottom topography. For instance, with a straight coast and only shallow indentations, there is little difference between the time of high or low tide and the time of slack water. However, where a large body of water connects with the ocean through a narrow channel, the tide and the current may be out of phase by as much as several hours. In a situation such as this, the current in the channel may be running at its greatest velocity when it is high or low water outside. Times of high and low tide can be found utilizing NOAA’s Tide Tables.

It is important when operating in tidal waters to know the set (direction toward) and drift (speed expressed in knots) of the tidal currents in the area. This information can be obtained from the Tidal Current Tables for the area.

Boat crews should select the tidal or current station closest to their area of concern. Sometimes it may be a reference station, which means no calculating is needed. If using a subordinate station, its time differences should be applied to the time of slack and maximum current at the reference station to obtain the corresponding times at the subordinate station. The maximum speed at the subordinate station is calculated by multiplying the maximum speed at the reference station by the appropriate flood or ebb ratio.

Flood direction is the approximate true direction toward which the flooding current flows. Ebb direction is generally close to the reciprocal of the flood direction. Average flood and ebb speeds are averages of all the flood and ebb currents. This information can be obtained from NOAA’s Tidal Current Tables for the area.

Actual conditions frequently vary considerably from predicted conditions. Changes in wind force and direction, or variations in atmospheric pressure, produce variations in the ocean water level, especially the high-water height. The actual heights of both high-water and low-water levels are higher than the predicted heights with an on-shore wind or a low barometer. With a high barometer or offshore wind, those heights usually are lower than predicted. When working with the Current Tables, the actual times of slack or maximum current sometimes differ from the predicted times by as much as half an hour. Occasionally, the difference may be as much as half an hour. However, a comparison between predicted and observed times of slack shows that more than 90% of slack water predictions are accurate to within half an hour. To get the full advantage of a favorable current or slack water, the navigator should plan to reach an entrance or strait at least half an hour before the predicted time of the desired condition of the current.

The question (Q171 #36). On 9 November 2023 at 1630, you are inbound at Charleston Harbor Entrance Buoy “10” (ACT6611). What is the direction and velocity of the current you are encountering as you pass Buoy “10”? Illustration D058NG D058NG.jpg

The working.

1. Buoy '10' at the Charleston Harbor entrance is itself a tidal current station: ACT6611, 'Fort Sumter Range, Buoy 10'. Its table carries the two directions the current runs — mean flood 280°T, into the harbour, and mean ebb 104°T, out of it.
2. Find the day. On 9 November 2023 the predictions either side of 1630 are slack at 1606 and the next maximum, an EBB of 0.4 knots, at 1943.
3. 1630 is after the slack and before the ebb maximum, so the current has just begun to ebb. That settles the direction on its own: 104°T.
4. Now the speed. Between a slack and the next maximum the current follows a sine curve, which is what Table 3 of the tidal current tables tabulates. 1606 to 1943 is 3h 37m = 217 minutes; 1606 to 1630 is 24 minutes, which is 11% of the way.
5. 0.38 × sin(90° × 0.11) = 0.38 × 0.17 = 0.07 knots, which the tables give to a tenth: 0.1 knot.
6. So at Buoy '10' at 1630 you meet 0.1 knot setting 104°T — a current just off slack, and against you as you come in.

Answer: 0.1kts at 104°T.

What the paper is testing. A current is named for where it GOES; a wind for where it comes from. '104°T' here means the water is flowing toward 104°, out of the harbour past your bow. Note too how little the answer depends on precision: 24 minutes after slack, anything you compute rounds to a tenth of a knot. The question is really asking whether you can tell flood from ebb.

Times and speeds are NOAA's own published predictions for station ACT6611, retrieved 2026-09-27 from api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov (product=currents_predictions, interval=MAX_SLACK, time_zone=lst). They reproduce the illustration the paper prints, which the NMC credits as adapted from NOAA.

The question (Q171 #37). On 14 October 2023, you will be docking at the Southern Branch Elizabeth River, VA at the second low tide. The berth is located between NOAA reference tidal station #8638660 and subordinate station #8639348. What time (LST) will you be docking? Illustration D063NG

The working.

1. Identify the two stations. 8638660 is Portsmouth, Norfolk Naval Shipyard and 8639348 is Money Point, both on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, and the berth lies between them.
2. Find the day and the tide asked for. On 14 October 2023 the low waters are at 0225 and 1458 at Portsmouth: the SECOND low tide is the afternoon one.
3. Read the same tide at the other station: 1500 at Money Point.
4. The berth is between the two stations, so its low water is between the two times: 1458 and 1500 give 1459.
5. The tide is two minutes later two and a half miles up the river — which is the point of the question. Between neighbouring stations you interpolate; you do not pick one and hope.

Answer: 1459.

What the paper is testing. The paper asks for LST — local STANDARD time — and 14 October is inside daylight saving. 1559 is on the paper and is exactly 1459 plus the daylight-saving hour. Read which time the table is printed in and which the question wants, every time.

Times are NOAA's own published predictions for stations 8638660 and 8639348, retrieved 2026-09-27 from api.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov (product=predictions, interval=hilo, datum=MLLW, time_zone=lst). They reproduce the illustration the paper prints, which the NMC credits as adapted from NOAA.