🌊 Tide Predictor
Enter a recent high tide and a time to check, and get an estimate of the next high and low tide and whether the water is rising or falling.
🌙 Estimate the Tide
What is a Tide Predictor?
A tide predictor projects the rhythm of the sea so you can plan around moving water — the single biggest factor in saltwater and estuary fishing. From one known high tide it estimates when the next high and low arrive and which way the water is heading.
This is a planning aid built on a simplified tidal cycle, not a precise forecast. Use it to think about the bite, and use the official tide table for your area (NOAA Tides & Currents in the US, Admiralty EasyTide in the UK) for any decision about getting out and back safely.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How does the tide predictor work?
It uses a simplified semidiurnal model: the tide is assumed to repeat on a fixed 12-hour-25-minute cycle, with a low tide roughly halfway between consecutive highs. Give it one recent high tide time and the moment you want to check, and it projects the next high, the next low, and whether the water is currently rising, falling, near high, or near low.
Is this a substitute for official tide tables?
No. This is a rough estimate only. Real tides are shaped by local geography, weather, wind, and the difference between spring and neap tides, which a simple cycle can't capture. Use the official predictions for your station: NOAA Tides & Currents (tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov) in the US, Admiralty EasyTide in the UK. Even those cover the astronomical tide only; NOAA: “We cannot predict the effect that wind, rain, freshwater runoff, and other short-term meteorological events will have on the tides.” This model also assumes two equal highs a day, which does not hold where the tide is diurnal (once a day, as in parts of the Gulf of Mexico) or mixed (the US West Coast). It refuses to project more than two cycles past the high you enter.
Why do tides matter for fishing?
Moving water concentrates baitfish and triggers predators to feed, so the hours around a tide change are often the most productive. Knowing when the tide turns helps you time your spot, fish current seams and structure, and plan your way back off flats, sandbars and rocks before the water turns. Never use an estimate for that: check the official tide table, get off well before the flood, and wear a life jacket on rocks and on a boat.
What time zone does the tool use?
The tool reads the two times as clock times in one zone and answers in the same zone, so enter both in your local time. It applies no daylight-saving change, and it rounds every time down to the minute so a shown time is never later than its own estimate. It is still an approximation, not an official prediction.