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| Neap Tide |
If you’re thinking about going foraging for sea vegetables, or even if you’re just going fishing, you can’t avoid having to know something about tides.
Most of the interesting seaweeds are found in the mid to low tides, so if you want any of the kelps – Atlantic wakame or kombu – or you are out looking for dilisk, you are only going to find them when the tide is low, and some of them only when the tide is very low.
Fishing for mackerel from the pier, on the other hand, needs a high tide.
There are books for this. We have tide books all over the house, boat and car (and yet, you can never find one when you need one). But as usual, Apple have it sorted. World Tides is a great App, it locates your area and gives you a tidal graph, along with loads of other data. Tidal info is also available on-line and in the newspaper.
A little understanding of what makes the tide helps here. So, let’s say, the fruit bowl is the sun, the Chinese teapot is the earth and the egg cup is the moon (not to scale).
The moon has the greatest pull on our tides. Acting like a giant magnet, it literally pulls a bulge of water towards it. The sun plays its part too, but to a much lesser extent. When the sun and the moon are aligned with the earth (see below), the pull is much stronger and we get what is called a Spring tide (spring because of a “spring” in the water, nothing to do with the season). This happens twice a month, with the new and full moon.
When, as in the picture above, the fruit bowl (sun) is not aligned with the teapot (earth) and egg cup (moon), you get a Neap tide.
Most of the interesting seaweeds are found in the mid to low tides, so if you want any of the kelps – Atlantic wakame or kombu – or you are out looking for dilisk, you are only going to find them when the tide is low, and some of them only when the tide is very low.
Fishing for mackerel from the pier, on the other hand, needs a high tide.
There are books for this. We have tide books all over the house, boat and car (and yet, you can never find one when you need one). But as usual, Apple have it sorted. World Tides is a great App, it locates your area and gives you a tidal graph, along with loads of other data. Tidal info is also available on-line and in the newspaper.
A little understanding of what makes the tide helps here. So, let’s say, the fruit bowl is the sun, the Chinese teapot is the earth and the egg cup is the moon (not to scale).
The moon has the greatest pull on our tides. Acting like a giant magnet, it literally pulls a bulge of water towards it. The sun plays its part too, but to a much lesser extent. When the sun and the moon are aligned with the earth (see below), the pull is much stronger and we get what is called a Spring tide (spring because of a “spring” in the water, nothing to do with the season). This happens twice a month, with the new and full moon.
When, as in the picture above, the fruit bowl (sun) is not aligned with the teapot (earth) and egg cup (moon), you get a Neap tide.
During Springs, the high tide will be higher, and the low, lower. This is when you need to look for seaweed and clams.
The next Spring tide is around about 1st July.
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| Spring Tide |
I love how uncomplicated you made the tides. I usually phone a friend who asks his Dad where the tide is before I go Oyster picking in Clarinbridge...now, I will have to DL the iPhone app......
ReplyDeleteMóna