I’m going to do some paddling on Saturday and want to plan the trip so that I go with the tide/current out, turn around at low tide and paddle back in with the incoming tide.
The tide chart shows a low tide just after noon but doesn’t show the current to be slack until 2:00.
It seems like the current should be slack right at low or high tide then start flowing the opposite direction.
What am I missing?
Thanks for the help
Usually right at low it stays calm for 30 min or so before it is noticeably moving again. Wind in/out with water flow can affect it faster or slower. In the sound I’ve seen a flat fill and/or empty in like 2-3 hrs with a 12-15 wind the same way as the tide. If against flow it can delay it a while. That will make some snotty waves at mouth of an inlet too!
J Ford
Find the tide chart for the exact area you’re fishing. A lot of times you’ll get “Charleston Tides” which come from the Customs House on the peninsula. These will differ significantly as you get farther from the harbor.
I have found the current indicator to be correct in Charleston and Winyah Bay, while the in the Beaufort area it is what Jford says. This is using the correct location. Don’t ask me how “low tide” can be at 1pm, but the water still flows out for 1-2 hours but that’s what happens. Maybe someone else can explain?
Sea Hunt 207CC,Yam F150
Carolina Skiff (old school model)17’ Suz D50
Tide is usually for the harbor. Add about 45m for the rivers/creeks.
2002 17’SeaHunt
I understand what you’re saying about location and the time offset. The tide chart I was looking at was on my Android app for Cherry Point Landing. Near Bohicket and Seabrook Island. It showed low tide on Saturday for 12:24 pm and a slack current for 2:03 pm for the same location and same day.
I’ve paddled from Cherry Point to the north tip of Edisto many times. The NOAA tide for Edisto Beach works fine for predicting the time of the current change at the mouth of the North Edisto inlet. Conditions look great for Saturday, but be aware that big currents against wind can stack up bouncy waves in the lower North Edisto. Saturday does look great though–light south winds with mid-day low tides are perfect for down-n-back tide rides in the big inlets. Up in rivers that are true rivers with an upland drainage (and not just tidal rivers), the tide can turn and the water will rise without the direction of the current changing. I’ve watched this in the upper Ashley and in the Combahee above hwy 17.
G
There’s an app called “tides near me” that has many different tide stations to reference
19’ American Skiff Coral Bay
Thanks for the tips G.
Looks to be a really great day. We’re launching from Seabrook island. The long paddle from Cherry Point and back would be too much on my back and butt.