How To Set Your Tide Clock From Made From RI

Posted by Keith R Wahl, Made From RI on May 3rd 2021

Setting A Tide Clock From Made From RI (and an explanation of tides)

Before you place the battery into the back of your clock, do one thing. Check the tide in your area. Our Preferred resource if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. You may find their Tide Prediction Site here: Tide Predictions - NOAA Tides & Currents. Once found, synch the tide clock hand to the current high tide (see the photo below).

Tide clocks have only one hand, and a cycle of about 12 hours and 25 minutes. This is the cycle of rise and fall of the ocean’s tide. There is an average of about 6 hours and 12 minutes between high and low tides. High tide is when the clock’s hand is at the traditional 12 o’clock position. Low tide is the 6 o’clock position. These points don’t represent the hour at all, but rather serve as convenient reference points on the dial. Hour markings between the high and low tide represent the hours that have passed since the last high or low tide, plus the hours before the next high or low tide. Tide clocks need resetting about every 4 months, depending your geographic location.

24 hours and 50 minutes passes between the moon’s rise in the night sky each night. This period of time is the “lunar day.” A tide-clock hand completes its rotation once every 12 hours and 25 minutes; twice each lunar day. There are three basic tidal patterns that can occur along the Earth’s major shorelines. Most shores experience two high tides and two low tides each day. When the highs and the lows are consistent heights, the tidal pattern is considered a semidiurnal or semi-daily tide; typical on the East Coast of the United States. When the heights of the high and low tides differ, however, the tidal pattern is called a mixed-semidiurnal tide. The West Coast of the United States tends toward mixed-semidiurnal tides.

When using a Tide Clock, keep in mind that atmospheric pressure may affect the level of the tide. A difference of one inch in barometric pressure will cause a one foot difference in sea level. Strong onshore winds will also cause a temporary increase in sea level. Both these effects will change the times of low and high tides as well. Tides in the lower portions of rivers will affect the changing volume of river flow.

Find Tide Clocks at Made From RI here: Nature - Tide Clocks - Made From RI

How to order a Custom Tide Clock of your selected area at Made From RI: Ordering Custom Chart Tile Items From Made From RI: A Worksheet - Made From RI

Considerations of what to use a Tide Clock for if you live on the shore: Made From RI Gallery | The Skills Used In Photographing The Shore by Keith R Wahl, Made From RI Gallery