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Tide tables san francisco12/27/2023 ![]() Ride the flood to Angel Island for a late afternoon picnic then ride the ebb back in time for cocktails at the Presidio Yacht Club. In other words, a perfect day for a late morning launch at Horseshoe Cove. The moon doesn't rise until 10:43 PM later that evening. ![]() The flood ends with slack water at 4:00 PM and the ebb begins, rising to a maximum of 3.1 knots at 6:30 PM, just after the sun sets. Maximum flood of 3.8 knots occurs around 12:45 PM with a high tide of 4.9 feet at 2:10 PM. Of interest to the kayaker on this particular date, Friday March 21st, 2003, slack water at 9:45 AM brings an end to the early morning ebb. (Note: the printing in the Tidelog® and the tide book is considerably easier to read than these Internet images). A nice feature of the tide book is that exact times are given for slack and maximum current. Each month has two tables on facing pages, showing tides and currents at the Golden Gate (see examples at right) and the Carquinez Strait. It's a third the size of the Tidelog®, yet contains nearly all of same information only in tabular form. Bay currents at hourly intervals before and after maximum ebb and flood at the Golden Gate.īASK has its own tide book thanks to Ken Mannshardt, who every year tries to get at least one into the hands of every member. There is also a series of maps that show S.F. In the back of the Tidelog® are tide and current corrections for places up and down the coast including San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay and parts of the Delta as far up as Sacramento. Refer to the Glossary for more definitions. The reason for this is explained in the section on Tides and Currents. Note that times of high tide and low tide (which determine how far water comes up the beach), do not correspond with maximum current (the speed that the water is flowing) nor with slack water (zero current). Bay Entrance and the lower line for the Carquinez Straight. Beneath the graphic, the upper line of data is for currents at the S.F. Their almanac has a daily graphic (see example at right) that contains the following information displayed in a straightforward visual manner: dawn, sunrise, sunset, dark moonrise, moon phase, moonset slack water, maximum ebb and maximum flood, all set against a 24-hour representation of tide height. Probably the easiest tide table to read is the Tidelog® produced by Pacific Publishers in Tybee Island, GA. It is vital that paddlers are able to read and understand tide tables since they contain valuable information that will minimize risk and maximize enjoyment. ![]() Heavy rainfall, low barometric pressure and strong onshore winds increase tides, while the opposites decrease them. This data is now provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and assumes normal weather and normal seasonal variations. Knowing the cycle of these bodies in their orbits allows us to predict with a high degree of accuracy the times and magnitude of tides and currents. ![]() From earliest times it has been understood that tides are produced by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. Although tides and currents up to 6 knots are a major factor in the San Francisco Bay, they are not a mystery. Wind, rain and ocean swells are affected by changing weather conditions and the prudent paddler will always check the forecast before a trip. The major unknown element for the sea kayaker is the weather. ![]()
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