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Tide Table Reader

A printed tide table is just a few numbers. This tool turns them into the day's actual curve — and quizzes you to make sure you can read it back yourself next time.

Read my table How it works

Three numbers from your table

For today · teaching tool

Copy three numbers from your own printed tide table for today:

First high tide today

First low tide today

Today's range (m)

Enter today's first high, first low and range, then press Read my table.

How it works

Reading a table the old way

How the tide type is guessed

The gap between your first low and first high reveals the rhythm. About 6 hours 12 minutes means a semi-diurnal coast (two cycles a day). About 12 hours 25 minutes means a diurnal coast (one cycle a day). Anything in between leans mixed.

Reading the curve

The rising half of the curve is the flood — when water moves in; the falling half is the ebb. Right at the top and bottom the water pauses: that's slack water, the calmest moment. The flat band near the middle of the curve marks the low-water window.

What to do with it

Work out where you are on the curve right now. Below the middle band and still falling: you have time. Already on the rising half: keep the exit in sight. The whole point is to stop treating the tide as a single 'high time' and start seeing it as a moving line.

⚠️

Safety first. Tide predictions here use a simplified harmonic model for planning only and may differ from official charts. Always check the official local tide table, lifeguard advice and on-site signs before you go. The sea can turn quickly — if in doubt, turn back.

Related tools

Pair this with

Tide

Go deeper

Tutorial

How to Read a Tide Table Like a Coastal Regular

The long-form guide this tool is built on.

Read the guide →

Tutorial

The Moon's 12.42-Hour Rhythm

Why the numbers shift every day.

Read the guide →

Tide Table Reader

Three numbers from your table

Quick check — can you read it back?

Reading a table the old way

Pair this with

Tide Predictor & Curve

Tide Types Explainer

Moon Phase Calculator

Coastal Glossary

Go deeper

How to Read a Tide Table Like a Coastal Regular

The Moon's 12.42-Hour Rhythm