High Tides

Thought this was the best section to put this query on .
I was explaining to Mrs H on why high tide times vary every day. I said the moon goes around the Earth in approx 28 days. So dividing 24 by 28 = 50 minutes later every day. Just checked a tide table The high tide does move forward but by an apparent random amount ! It is different every day ! Why is this Luckily she did not ask why we have 2 tides a day - I dont understand that one as well :D

 

Big question that, being a boat angler I rely on tide tables and they are able to predict the tide times and height to a fair degree of accuracy years in advance, but like most people I have no idea how they do it.

 

Its a very complicated system Harry.

Tide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just had a look there, a lot of factors going on.

Down here we also get a funneling effect as the tide comes up the Bristol channel, it piles up as it gets narrower. You may have seen pic of people surfing the Seven Bore as the wave goes up the river.

 

Some places have 4 of each:

Normal tides at Chesil Beach and Poole Harbour with 4 of each.

 

Thanks all , I now understand that tides are one hell of a lot more complicated than I thought they were . When I do visit a beach I'll just use the tide tables to make sure the beach is there when I am. These tables must be essential for you sea anglers.

 

First thing we do when thinking about a trip, especially on the Bristol Channel side, you only get an hour either side of high water, then the sea goes out completely.

If you are fishing the Cannon Wall at Lyme Regis, that gets cut off for an hour or two on Spring tides.



I was there once on one of the highest tides of the year, fishing into the night, so I had warm clothing, lights & a lifejacket as a precaution.

The "Bloat" Family were on it too, eating their deep fried mars bars & chips with ice cream sauce etc. wearing summer clothing

As the dusk came, I gave them a friendly warning that the wall would shortly be cut off. Mr Bloat got indignant & said it wasn't cut off last week when they were there.

I tried to explain that it was a much bigger tide tonight but it fell on deaf or stupid ears.

Night came, the temperature dropped & the wall was surrounded by water.

About an hour later, cold & crestfallen Mr Bloat loomed out of the darkness & asked how long we would be cut off for. I looked at the time & replied, till about midnight.

He didn't look very happy as he wandered back to face the anger of Mrs Bloat

 

Ziggy you should only warn fellow humans , like the Bloat family :D , once in a very quiet voice. Then let nature take its course , its called cleaning the gene pool . The Darwin Award site explains it far better than I can
[SIZE=-1]"Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it."[/SIZE]
The Darwin Awards

 

If you are looking for stupidity, try the Holy Island crossing in Northumberland.

There are:-
1. tide times posted.
2. Warning signs on both side of the crossing point.
3. Advertising in local shops warning of the danger.
4. Flashing warning lights
5. Media coverage of all the idiots that cross against the tide

I don't know what else can be done, bi=ut the coastg guard gets called out dozens of times each year to rescue people from cars that are being swept away by the tide.

They all claim they didn't realise the danger - and most of the are English, so language isn't the problem - not sure about Literacy!

 

It does make you wonder Gcc:DOH:

Love the Darwin Awards Harry.

Loosing count of the number of people i've let remain in the gene pool, maybe I ought to just limit it to when innocent kids are at risk?

 

Heres another shot of the Cannon Wall as the tide is coming in



When there is an extreme spring tide, it just laps over the "enter here" notice.

 

Heres the Daily Mail report of one of the rescues involving kids of 2 & 4. What sort of parents are they??

RAF helicopter rescues family of four from the roof of their submerged car at Holy Island | Mail Online

Therfe are usually 10 - 15 such incidents each year + God knows how many take the risk and get away with it.

The last one last week cost someone aMercedes - shame!

 

When I lived in Torquay in the 70's (that's the 1970's ! ) I parked down by the harbour one night , and the water was only 6 " from the top. It was unbelievable the amount the water had risen over the norm . Must have been an extreme spring tide. The UK's highest tide is in the severn , apparently this is the second highest in the world . Where is the highest ?
PS: I hope its not that place in France where they have the barrier , we dont want to come second to the French do we !

 

:D No we don't, its ok, the highest is in Novia Scotia, 16 metres:OUCH:

I was fishing the cannon wall one evening when the whole harbour suddenly filled up by about 2 feet, I jumped onto the top of the wall, didn't know how high it was going to go.

It stayed for a minute & then just drained out again, must have been a Greywacke slump out on the shelf or something seismic. No splashing wave or noise, just the level going up very quickly

 

16 metre tide That's 50 blooming feet !!This is far too complicated for me :DOH:, luckily in my course fishing days I did not have to concern myself with tides. Sea fishing seems a bit risky . We were up at Morecambe bay earlier this year and the speed the tide comes in is frightening. I don't think you could outrun it .

 

This advert made me think of the 'Bloat' family. Who else would would need 88" belts? (OK, perhaps some of those mackie bashers that used to live in transit vans parked at West Bex all summer and live on just mackerel & beer)