A rhythm older than any calendar
Long before clocks, people living by the sea measured their days by the water. Fishermen waited for it, children raced it, and whole villages learned its moods. The tide is still keeping that same time today, whether or not anyone is watching.
How to spend an hour at the shore
A few small habits that turn a walk along the beach into something you remember.
Listen before you look
Arrive a little early and let the sound of the water settle you. The surf tells you whether the tide is rising or falling long before the sand does.
Walk the wet line
The darker strip of sand marks where the last wave reached. It is where the freshest treasures wash up and where the footing is firmest.
Leave it as you found it
Take photographs, not shells with someone still living inside. The shore is a home before it is a view.
What the tide leaves behind
Every low tide sets out a fresh collection along the sand. Here is what you are most likely to find.
Ribbons of kelp
Torn loose by the night swell and laid out like dark silk.
Sea glass
Old bottles, softened and frosted by years of patient tumbling.
Razor shells
Long and smooth, often found in pairs near the low water mark.
Tide pools
Small worlds of anemones, shrimp and periwinkles waiting for the sea to return.
The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
The tide in numbers
- High tides on most shores every day
- 2
- High tides on most shores every day
- Average time between one high tide and the next
- 12h 25m
- Average time between one high tide and the next
- Average distance to the moon that pulls the water
- 384,400 km
- Average distance to the moon that pulls the water
- Tidal range at its greatest in the Bay of Fundy
- 16 m
- Tidal range at its greatest in the Bay of Fundy
Questions people ask by the water
Simple answers to the things everyone wonders about when the sea goes out.
Why are there two high tides a day?
The moon pulls the ocean toward it on one side of the Earth, while on the opposite side the water bulges away. As the Earth turns, most coastlines pass through both bulges every day.
What is a spring tide?
Nothing to do with the season. When the sun and moon line up, around the new and full moon, their pull combines and the tides rise higher and fall lower than usual.
When is the best time to explore the shore?
An hour or two either side of low tide. More of the beach is uncovered and the tide pools are full of life, but always keep an eye on the returning water.
Go and stand at the water’s edge
Check the tide times for your nearest beach, pick an evening, and watch the sea come home.