Whether you are a beginner paddle boarder or a seasoned veteran, you probably want to go paddle boarding at the best time in the day. Which is exactly what I do! But in order to figure out when to paddle board, you will need to learn what is the best tide for paddle boarding.
But do not worry, Paddle Board Nation has you covered! In this article we will go over everything you need to know about tides and what the best tide is for paddle boarding.
The Different Types of Tides
Before you decide to paddle board during a certain tide it is helpful to at least know the basics about each of them and how they will affect your paddle boarding experience. So here is some information about each of the different type of tides.
What Is High Tide?
Because it is the gravitational pull of the moon that controls whether a tide will be low or high, a high tide is created by the water moving towards the closest point to the moon and the furthest away from the moon.
What Is Low Tide?
When we see an absence of the tidal forces on the water this will cause a low tide in which the water is significantly lower.
What Is Slack Tide?
Lastly we have slack tides, these type of tides happen right before the turn or the tides. This means that their will be a short period of the water with very little tidal movement.
What Tide Is The Best For Paddle Boarding?
The best tide for paddle boarding is usually going to be at slack tide. This is because in general, the water will have less movement which in turn will make for a smoother glide on your paddle board.
What Tides Is The Worst For Paddle Boarding?
Because there are only three different types of tides this makes both the low and the high tide the worst times for paddle boarding. This is due to the water moving slightly more than it would during slack tide.
How To Figure Out What Tide It Is?
There are several things that can be done by you for telling whether the tide is low or high at any given time:
Tidal Charts
The easiest way to figure out what tide it is during the day is by reading a tide chart. These are very easy to read and can easily be accessed for free online. Here is a link to a free tidal chart.
Look At The Rocks And Sand
When trying to figure out what tide it might be, you will want to take into consideration the rocks, sand, as well as other items around the water. The water is going to drift towards the shore in if you notice that the rocks and other objects near by are excessively wet.
This implies that the tide is going to low from high which is referred to as an ebbing tide.
In the case that none of the rocks are wet, then probably it is going to be high from low which is also referred to as a flood tide.
Look At Objects In The Water
Look at any floating anchored buoy in the water. On most occasions, objects in the water will end up catching dead plants including seaweed and kelp that drift into them. This helps us figure out the tide because the water will be flowing in the direction that has the seaweed and kelp.
Look At A Stationary Item In The Water
Take into consideration any stationary object, this will help the tide by looking at where the water has reached on that particular object. Also, bear in mind that this is considered to be the weakest process of observation given that there are also other factors influencing the drift apart from the tide and the wind.
