Tide Tables and Tidal Currents in Paper Format

Tide tables and tidal current information for navigation planning

Paper tide tables are fundamental nautical references for predicting changes in sea level, determining high and low water times and planning navigation where available water depth depends on the tide. Publications dedicated to tidal currents make it possible to integrate the direction and speed of moving water into passage planning.

Paper documentation remains important on board. It does not depend on a battery, Internet connection or particular software. It can be consulted quickly at the chart table, used alongside other nautical documents and kept as a working reference throughout the preparation of a passage.

The Paper Tide Tables and Tidal Currents category at Nautic Way Maritime Bookshop includes publications from the SHOM – French Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, the Admiralty – United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, as well as publications dedicated to tides and tidal currents in different maritime regions.

Why use a paper tide table?

Tides continuously change the available water depth. This variation is particularly important in areas with a large tidal range, such as the English Channel, Brittany, the Iroise Sea and parts of the Atlantic coast.

A tide table can provide, for a reference port or tidal station:

• the time of high water;

• the time of low water;

• the corresponding tidal height;

• corrections applicable to secondary ports;

• information required for tide calculations;

• depending on the publication, additional information concerning tidal currents.

This information can then be incorporated into passage planning.

For example, when a sailing yacht is entering a shallow harbour, the arrival time cannot always be selected independently of the tide. The navigator needs to know the available water depth at the time of passage and maintain an appropriate safety margin according to the vessel's draught.

An essential tool for calculating under-keel clearance

Under-keel clearance is the amount of water available beneath the vessel's keel and is directly related to charted depth and tidal height.

Consider a vessel that has to cross a sill at the entrance to a harbour. The depth shown by hydrographic information refers to a particular reference level. To determine the actual water depth available at the time of passage, the navigator must add the predicted tidal height.

The navigator must then consider:

• vessel draught;

• tidal height;

• any local corrections;

• the effect of weather conditions;

• the required safety margin;

• possible squat or swell effects depending on the situation.

The tide table therefore becomes a genuine passage-planning tool, rather than simply a calendar of tidal times.

Spring tides, neap tides and tidal coefficients

Tidal conditions vary throughout the lunar cycle. Spring tides occur when the tidal range is large, while neap tides correspond to smaller tidal ranges.

On French coasts, the tidal coefficient is commonly used to characterise the predicted tidal range.

This information is particularly useful in the English Channel and Brittany. A passage in the Normandy-Brittany Gulf, around Saint-Malo, Granville or Cherbourg, may present significantly different conditions depending on the stage of the tidal cycle.

The navigator must therefore consider not only the time of high or low water, but also the magnitude of the tide and its influence on currents.

Tidal currents and speed over the ground

The tide does not only cause a vertical variation in sea level. It also generates horizontal movement of water masses: these are tidal currents.

A favourable current can increase a vessel's speed over the ground. A contrary current can substantially reduce its progress.

This difference is particularly important when navigating through areas with strong currents. Route planning must then take into account:

• current direction;

• current speed;

• passage time;

• transit duration;

• vessel's course;

• vessel's speed through the water.

In some passages, selecting the correct crossing time can have a major effect on the total passage duration.

French areas particularly affected by tides

French hydrographic publications dedicated to tides and tidal currents are particularly useful for navigation in the English Channel, Brittany and along the Atlantic coast.

Areas of particular interest include:

• the Strait of Dover and Bay of Somme;

• Seine Bay;

• the Normandy-Brittany Gulf;

• the northern Brittany coast;

• the Iroise Sea;

• Brest Roads and Douarnenez Bay;

• the southern Brittany coast;

• the Gulf of Morbihan;

• the western French coast;

• the Bay of Biscay.

These areas include many ports and passages used by recreational and commercial vessels, including Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Dieppe, Le Tréport, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Granville, Saint-Malo, Paimpol, Roscoff, Brest, Douarnenez, Audierne, Concarneau, Lorient, Quiberon, Le Croisic, Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle, Royan, Arcachon, Bayonne and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

SHOM provides current data covering several of these areas, although its tidal current atlases are currently distributed exclusively in digital format. The paper publications in this category therefore mainly concern tide publications available in printed form.

Admiralty Tide Tables publications

The Admiralty Tide Tables, published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, are an international reference for tide prediction.

The paper NP201 to NP208 series covers different regions of the world. The volumes provide daily high and low water times and heights for standard ports, together with time and height differences for secondary ports and, depending on the region, harmonic constants and information concerning meteorological factors that may affect tides.

The coverage includes, among other areas:

• Europe;

• the United Kingdom and Ireland;

• the English Channel;

• the North Atlantic;

• Arctic regions;

• the Indian Ocean;

• the South China Sea;

• the Pacific;

• the south-west Atlantic;

• West Africa;

• the Mediterranean.

This international coverage makes paper Admiralty Tide Tables particularly suitable for offshore and professional navigation where reliable tidal information is required for a specific operating area.

English Channel, North Sea and North Atlantic

For navigation in the English Channel, tidal information is essential. Currents can be strong between France and England, particularly in constricted areas.

Admiralty publications cover British waters and the English Channel, with ports such as Dover, Portsmouth, Southampton and Plymouth, together with numerous secondary ports. The relevant volumes allow departure and arrival times to be planned according to the tide.

In the North Sea, the combination of relatively shallow waters, heavy maritime traffic and tidal currents also requires careful planning.

Navigators may need to incorporate tidal information when planning routes through areas around Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Hamburg, the British coast or the approaches to the English Channel.

Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic

The Mediterranean generally has smaller tidal ranges than the English Channel, but tidal information remains useful for certain harbour approaches and coastal areas.

Admiralty publications cover areas including the south-east Atlantic, West Africa and the Mediterranean. The relevant volume includes data for numerous standard and secondary ports and information allowing more advanced tide calculations.

This coverage is useful for navigation around Gibraltar, the Portuguese and Spanish coasts, West Africa and the various Mediterranean basins.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific

For offshore sailors, Admiralty publications also make it possible to plan navigation in areas far from the French coast.

The series includes volumes covering, among other regions:

• the North Atlantic and Arctic;

• the Indian Ocean;

• the South Pacific;

• the South China Sea and Indonesia;

• the North Pacific;

• the south-west Atlantic and South America;

• the south-east Atlantic, West Africa and the Mediterranean.

The appropriate volume therefore depends directly on the intended navigation area.

For a circumnavigation, delivery voyage or ocean passage involving numerous coastal stops, tide tables provide a consistent method for planning harbour arrivals and departures.

Paper format: a tool independent of electronics

One of the main advantages of a paper tide table is its independence from electronic equipment.

On board, a paper publication:

• requires no battery;

• does not depend on an Internet connection;

• remains available in the event of an electrical failure;

• can be used directly at the chart table;

• allows calculations and planning notes to be recorded;

• can be consulted quickly without starting software.

This characteristic is particularly relevant when considering documentary redundancy. Electronic equipment has become essential to modern navigation, but paper documents remain useful as a complementary means of planning and verification.

Annual tide tables and up-to-date data

Tidal data are based on calculated phenomena and hydrographic models that may be updated between editions.

It is therefore important to check the year of the tide table being used on board and to select the edition corresponding to the period of navigation.

This consideration is particularly important for professional navigation, commercial vessels, maritime administrations and users who must comply with specific documentary procedures.

Using tide information with other navigation data

A tide table should not be used in isolation. It provides time-related and hydrodynamic information that must be combined with the other data required for navigation.

Comprehensive passage planning may incorporate:

• hydrographic depths;

• tidal heights;

• tidal currents;

• vessel draught;

• vessel speed;

• channel characteristics;

• weather conditions;

• swell height;

• safety margins;

• planned arrival and departure times.

Charts and publications produced by hydrographic services such as SHOM, Admiralty, the Canadian Hydrographic Service and other national organisations therefore form a coherent body of documentation for coastal and offshore passage planning.

Conclusion

Paper tide tables and tidal current publications provide specialised documentation for understanding and anticipating changes in sea level and incorporating tides into navigation planning.

They are particularly important in regions with large tidal ranges and strong currents, such as the English Channel, the Iroise Sea, Brittany, the North Sea and parts of the Atlantic. They also remain useful for international navigation thanks to the worldwide coverage offered by publications such as the Admiralty Tide Tables.

Paper format also provides a particularly useful form of redundancy on board: it remains available independently of batteries, networks and electronic systems.

When correctly used together with hydrographic data, weather information, vessel draught and local conditions, a tide table makes it possible to turn predicted water levels into practical navigation decisions: choosing a departure time, calculating under-keel clearance, planning a harbour entrance or optimising the crossing of a passage subject to strong tidal currents.

FAQ – Paper Tide Tables and Tidal Currents

What is a paper tide table used for?

It provides predicted times and heights of high and low water for different tidal stations and ports. It is used to plan harbour entrances, shallow-water passages and navigation affected by tides.

Why choose a paper version rather than a digital version?

A paper version works without a battery, Internet connection or software. It can therefore provide useful documentary redundancy and remain immediately accessible on board, particularly at the chart table.

What is the difference between a tide table and a tidal current atlas?

A tide table mainly provides information about vertical variations in sea level. A tidal current atlas describes the horizontal movement of water, particularly its direction and speed. The two types of information are complementary.

Does SHOM still publish tidal current atlases in paper format?

SHOM tidal current atlases are currently supplied exclusively in digital PDF format. The paper category therefore mainly concerns tide publications available in printed form.

Which French areas are particularly affected by tidal currents?

The English Channel, Strait of Dover, Seine Bay, Normandy-Brittany Gulf, northern Brittany, the Iroise Sea, Brest Roads, southern Brittany, the Gulf of Morbihan, the Atlantic coast and the Bay of Biscay are particularly affected.

Why are tidal currents important around Brittany?

The highly indented Breton coastline, numerous narrow passages and significant tidal range can produce strong currents. Areas such as the Raz de Sein and Chenal du Four require careful passage planning.

What is a tidal coefficient?

A tidal coefficient is a value used on French coasts to characterise tidal range. It helps distinguish periods of spring tides from periods of neap tides.

Are Admiralty Tide Tables available in paper format?

Yes. The Admiralty Tide Tables NP201 to NP208 series is available in paper format and covers numerous international maritime regions.

Which areas are covered by Admiralty Tide Tables?

Depending on the volume, the series covers the United Kingdom and Ireland, the English Channel, Europe, the North Atlantic, Arctic regions, the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the Pacific, the south-west Atlantic, West Africa and the Mediterranean.

Does a tide table replace a nautical chart?

No. A tide table provides information about tides, while a nautical chart provides depths, hazards, channels and navigational aids. The two documents are complementary.

Why should the tide table correspond to the year of navigation?

Tide tables are periodic publications whose data are updated between editions. For accurate navigation, it is important to use the appropriate edition for the period concerned.

Are tide tables useful to recreational sailors?

Yes. They are particularly useful to sailors navigating in areas with large tidal ranges, for shallow harbour entrances, passages affected by strong currents and the planning of coastal and offshore passages.