From the screen to the sand: how Tidesy matches our beach
This afternoon our Tidesy said 6.0 feet and falling. Down on the beach in Ocean Park, on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula, that looked like the picture below: a strip of dry sand along the dunes, a wide band of firm wet sand where the dogs were waiting for the ball, and the surf, still backing away.
Every number on a Tidesy matches something you can see on the beach. Once you know what to look for, a glance at the screen tells you what the beach looks like right now, and when to head out for a walk or a game of fetch.
And this is what our Tidesy showed at the same moment, for Cape Disappointment, our nearest NOAA station:
1. The dry sand: where the high tide stopped
Tidesy showed this morning's high tide: 7.8 feet at 11:30 AM. That's the highest the water came today, and you can see exactly where it stopped. The line of seaweed on the right of the photo is the high-tide line. Everything above it, the white, soft sand toward the dunes, stayed dry.
Our warning level is set to 8 feet. Today's high stayed just under it. On days when the high tide climbs past it, that line of seaweed moves farther up the beach.
2. The firm, wet sand: our ball field
The wide, darker band in the middle was under water at 11:30. By the time of the photo the tide had dropped almost two feet, to 6.0 feet, and the band was uncovered again. It's still wet, so it's packed and firm, but the waves no longer run over it. That's exactly the sand we love for throwing the ball.
The arrow under the big number tells you which way it's going: down, at 1.5 feet an hour. So on this afternoon, every hour meant more of this firm sand.
3. The water's edge: still moving out
The next low on the screen is 0.9 feet at 5:39 PM. Until then the water keeps backing away and the beach keeps getting wider, with the widest beach of the day right around the low.
Our beach is long and flat, so a low tide like today's doesn't leave tide pools behind. Those only show up on the really low tides, when the number drops below zero. When we want to go exploring, those are the days we look for on the Tidesy.
Planning the day from the kitchen counter
Once you've matched the numbers to your own beach a few times, the screen does the planning for you:
- A long walk: we set our preferred range to 1 to 3 feet, the orange marks beside the bar. Today the tide was in that range from about 3:30 PM until 8 PM, so the late afternoon walk was the one to take.
- Throwing the ball: a falling tide a couple of hours after the high, like this afternoon, opens up the firm wet sand. The arrow pointing down is the cue.
- Watching the water: when the high tide nears your warning level, it's a day to keep an eye on how far up the beach the water reaches. Tonight's high is lower, 7.0 feet just before midnight.
There's one more number in the corner: Surge -0.2 ft. Cape Disappointment has a live NOAA tide gauge, and it showed the real water running about two inches below the prediction today, a calm day. On a stormy day that number can climb well above zero, and the water reaches higher than the tide table says.
Learn your own beach
Every beach is different. A foot of tide on a steep beach covers far less sand than on a flat one like ours. Take your Tidesy's number with you on your next few walks and look at where the water is and where the seaweed line sits. After a week or so, you'll read the beach from your kitchen. Then set your own preferred and warning levels to match, and Tidesy will shade the best hours for you.