Isn't it normal when a boat is being chartered for the captain to take care of this? It certainly is in the UK.
How important is it to check tides when boat diving?
- Thread starter Mantasscareme
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OP
Mantasscareme
Contributor
peterbj7:
Well yeah, but stronger currents could eliminate otherwise great sites from the agenda.
Same when chartering boats off Ocean City MD, Virginia Beach, or Morehead City/Beaufort NC. If you're heading 40 - 70 miles offshore to dive on a wreck, for example, tides are irrelevant.howarde:
But when you're talking about "channel islands" - e.g. islands located in the vicinity of a body of semi-confined water, the tide changes cause vast amounts of water to rush in and out through those "channels". Totally different story.
Sure. And the Captain will. Charter boats will gladly take divers out when the tides are bodacious. Likely bring everyone back safely, too.peterbj7:
The issue is the relative quality of the diving. Wicked currents can tend to stir up sediment, particulate, and other crap in the water - which reduces vis. Higher differences between full high tide and full low tide means that the currents may run harder for somewhat longer - which means you can wait on station longer for them to quit running...e.g. until its safe to drop in. If someone does have issues, stronger currents mean that you have to be quicker in responding to them. Add a little fog, some mist, perhaps the wind kicks up, ...it isn't just one thing, its a combination of things. The goal is to reduce the total number of things that can hork up your entire day.
All else being equal, you have a better chance of being a happy camper if you are paying attention to the tides and the weather when chartering boats to go diving in places that can be significantly impacted by tides.
Ultimately, the quality and relative enjoyment of your dives is your responsibility - not the charter boat captains. He'll get you out there and bring you back....but you might not always be happy with what you find when you get out there.
YMMV.
OP
Mantasscareme
Contributor
"Channel Islands" is actually a bit of a misnomer. They're in the middle of nowhere, the only channel is the eleven mile wide one between them and the mainland. The islands themselves have a couple of bays though, and those contain some of the nicer dives.
I always check the tides and currents when taking my boat out. In my case its to finds out when the slack is, [some sites in Puget Sound you only dive the slack] tells me what the max current is [so I can plan on what time to dive] and finally to see if I can get my boat in and out of the ramp. This Sunday we have a -2.0 tide in Puget Sound. Most ramps will not have any water on them. I have used Tides & Currents Pro for years now and it is a great tool to have.
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howarde:
Well, I remember reading something Mike Veitch said. You figure he dives the south Pacific every day, pretty much. He said he "passes" Pelelui sometimes depending on the currents. There are times when a charter runs but you don't want to dive it.
diver-dad
Registered
Doc Intrepid nailed it in his answer.
In CA, I know tidal currents can be a real issue in some locations, particularly off of San Diego.
Here in Puget Sound, the currents are complex because of the geography and underwater topography, but there are good charts available that can predict slack in specific areas.
Current tables and charts may be available in the specific area you plan to dive in.
Bottom line: you do need to do some homework ahead of time.
Good luck!
In CA, I know tidal currents can be a real issue in some locations, particularly off of San Diego.
Here in Puget Sound, the currents are complex because of the geography and underwater topography, but there are good charts available that can predict slack in specific areas.
Current tables and charts may be available in the specific area you plan to dive in.
Bottom line: you do need to do some homework ahead of time.
Good luck!
miketsp
Contributor
Basically whether or not you should carry a set of tide tables or not depends on the tidal range in the area you're diving.
Imagine diving the Bay of Fundy's Minas Basin with a tidal variation of up to 50ft and current of up to 7 knots!
http://www.valleyweb.com/fundytides/
OTOH many popular dive regions are at nodes with very little tidal range and there you only need to know if there is a prevailing oceanic current at this particular time of year.
There are only very slight tides in the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea due to their narrow connections with the Atlantic Ocean. Extremely small tides also occur for the same reason in the Gulf of Mexico and Sea of Japan. On the southern coast of Australia, because the coast is extremely straight (partly due to the tiny quantities of runoff flowing from rivers), tidal ranges are equally small.
At many places with a reasonable tidal range you also need to know what is the offset between tide and local currents. Slack water does not necessarily coincide with high or low tide as shown on the table. There can be significant time shifts according to local geography.
Imagine diving the Bay of Fundy's Minas Basin with a tidal variation of up to 50ft and current of up to 7 knots!
http://www.valleyweb.com/fundytides/
OTOH many popular dive regions are at nodes with very little tidal range and there you only need to know if there is a prevailing oceanic current at this particular time of year.
There are only very slight tides in the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea due to their narrow connections with the Atlantic Ocean. Extremely small tides also occur for the same reason in the Gulf of Mexico and Sea of Japan. On the southern coast of Australia, because the coast is extremely straight (partly due to the tiny quantities of runoff flowing from rivers), tidal ranges are equally small.
At many places with a reasonable tidal range you also need to know what is the offset between tide and local currents. Slack water does not necessarily coincide with high or low tide as shown on the table. There can be significant time shifts according to local geography.
As a few have said it's typically not the tide your real concerned with but rather current. Here in New England you want to time your dives to be done during Slack Current. Also depending on location visibility is impacted by whether you are dive during the flood stage or the ebb stage of the current. On the east coast the "Eldridge" book is used for these predictions not sure of the publication for the west coast or NOAA has a good set of current tables for the US. http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents06/
Doc Intrepid:
This is not what the channel islands in CA are. That's just the name.
So I think we're talking about 2 different scenarios here.
My suggestion to the original poster would be to call the dive op (it's probably one of those 1 night liveaboards??) and ask them your question directly.
-- As a side note... it sounds like people are mixing up tides and currents. So as people pointed out... It's important to know the specifics for the site you're diving, and to be prepared in general, and not just blindly follow like a lemming. If there is a tidal shift in the site you're diving, it's a good idea to know what that is, and when that happens. If you're diving in deeper open water, where tides aren't a factor, it's a good idea to know that too.
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