High TideDownload app

How to read a tide chart

Learn how to read a tide chart, identify rising and falling tides, and relate the chart to the day's tide table.

A tide chart shows the predicted change in water level throughout the day. When the curve rises, the tide is coming in. When it falls, the tide is going out.

It helps you visualize the trend between high and low tide, but it should always be read together with the tide table.

What the time axis represents

The horizontal axis represents time throughout the day. On smaller screens, the chart may display only the beginning and the end of the day to keep it easy to read.

Even when not every time label is shown, the intermediate data points are still used to draw the curve.

Daily tide curve
High tide00:0023:59highestlowest

What the height axis represents

The vertical axis represents the predicted tide height. Higher points indicate a higher water level relative to the reference used by the data source.

Use this axis to compare different times within the same day and the same location, rather than drawing conclusions about safety from a single value.

View the tide chart in the app

Follow the daily tide curve alongside the high and low tide times for your selected city.

How to identify rising and falling tides

An upward curve indicates the tide is coming in. A downward curve indicates the tide is going out. The highest and lowest points on the curve usually correspond to high tide and low tide.

This makes it easier to understand whether you're close to a tide extreme or in the middle of a tidal transition.

Illustrative app screen
Miami, FLLow 04:12High 10:28

Check tides in

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Perguntas frequentes

Does the tide chart replace the tide table?

No. The chart shows the overall tide trend, while the tide table displays tide times and tide heights more explicitly.

Why don't all times appear on the axis?

To reduce visual clutter, especially on mobile devices. The curve still uses the intermediate data points.

Check tides for your place

Use the High Tide app to follow times, heights, charts, and upcoming tides.