Our tide clocks are another decorative element to add to your beach style. As there are many variable factors that can affect the tides, our tide clocks are not designed, promoted or intended to be used as accurate instruments. Rather, once properly set they can approximate some useful information about tides and provide a reasonable guide to local tidal changes.
Of course navigators and others requiring more precise tidal information will need to use published tide tables. But fishermen, surfers, boaters, and beachcombers can estimate the best time for their activities using tide clocks.
Fishermen can use the tide clocks to determine the best times to fish before and after the high and low tides.
Depending on the location and wind conditions, surfers can use the tide clocks to avoid high tides and catch the better waves when the tide is coming in.
Boaters can use the tide clocks to avoid low tides in certain areas and rushing tides and the general direction of the water in certain inlets.
Beachcombers can use the tide clocks to determine the hour before low tide or the hour before high tide when the best beachcombing and metal detecting conditions occur.
Based on a lunar day of 24 hours and 50 minutes, our tide clocks operate on a semidiurnal tide basis which have two high tides and two low tides each tidal lunar day. Our tide clocks count down the number of hours until the next high or low tide.
The best way to calibrate your tide clock is to consult a local tide table during either a New Moon or a Full Moon which results in a "spring tide". A spring tide has nothing to do with the season. Rather spring tides occur twice each lunar month and have the hightest high tides and lowest low tides. Tide clocks are most accurate during spring tides and least accurate during "neap" tides of the moon's quarter phases which have relatively weak tides. Depending on where you are located, the tide clock may have to be reset periodically.
Go to NOAA Tides & Currents for more information - http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov.