New England Tides & Information

Choose a location for tide chart information: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut Maine & New Hampshire About tides...Tides have a powerful influence on how and when we play at New England beaches. During low tide on Cape Cod Bay, it's often possible to walk 1/2 mile out onto the flats in ankle-deep water. Six hours later, the water is suddenly too deep to stand in. Tides cause currents that greatly affect fishing, kayaking, swimming and surfing. When planning your day at the beach, it's well worth taking note of the tides. The daily cyclical discussed here tides are altogether different from "rip tides" (see below). The ebb and flow of tides are caused by the gravitational effect of the Sun and Moon on the Earth. This force has little effect on land, but a strong one on the ocean. Because the Moon is much closer to Earth than the Sun, its influence is much greater. Tides directly affect wave height, making them crucial for watersports.

When the Moon is up, it pulls water beneath it outwards into a bulge. On the opposite side of the Earth, a similar bulge is also formed by water being moved outward from the planet's rotation. These two bulges travel around the globe, producing (in most places) two high tides every day. Tidal also conditions greatly impact coastal sports like surfing, fishing and boating.

Surfing
Tides greatly influence how waves break. During low tide, you may be subject to exposed rocks or reefs that weren't there six hours before. Waves also tend to be steeper and break farther out from shore during low tide, but this isn't always the case.

High tides usually mean mushier, slower-breaking waves. They can also cause backwash, which occurs when waves bounce off rocks or sandbars on shore and ricochet back out to sea. During high tide, you may notice shorebreaks become more powerful. Most beaches have a preferable tide. To find out when to go to a local break, grab a free tide chart from your local surf shop.

Fishing
The tides and how hard the current is running (caused by tidal ebb and flow) have a huge effect on an angler's chances of catching fish. Fishermen should utilize a yearly tide schedule in planning their fishing into the future. Most charts show the key specifics - tidal date, time and height.

The height above mean low water can make a difference between catching fish or going home empty-handed. Plan to fish while tides are in the mid 6-7 ft. range. This is crucial because the current becomes stronger as tidal heights increase, causing water to become turbid. Turbidity is suspended silt which has been stirred up from bottom sediments. Turbid water reduces the chances of fish seeing your bait.

Boating
Boaters in coastal waters need to pat attention to local tides. You should always know the tides, especially when leaving and/or returning to shallow water. High and low tides normally occur twice a day at about six hour intervals. Their rise and fall can cause water levels to fluctuate by several feet and also strong currents to develop. This can make vessels run aground in areas where earlier navigation may have been safe. Tides can also affect docking to a fixed pier. Additionally, tidal currents can slow down vesselstraveling directly into their path.

As a boat operator, you need local tidal knowledge for safety purposes. It’s a good idea to learn how to decipher tide tables found in many coastal area newspapers. They can also be found on NOAA weather radio channels.

Rip Currents aka Rip Tides
Rip currents are created by waves and are most prevalent when during high tide periods when the swell is bigger than normal. Rip currents are short tidal streams that move away from the beach out to just past the surf line. If you're caught in a rip current, don't swim directly against it. Instead, you should swim parallel to the shore until you are out of it and then back in. Above all, don't panic. If you do nothing, the rip current will sweep you just beyond the surf line (where waves break) and then you can swim or ride a wave back in. Surfers use rip currents like moving walkways to access the surf line faster. Weak swimmers and young children should be very careful around rip currents and avoid entering breaking surf where they might be swept out into deep water by accident.

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