The narrow band between high and low tide is Puget Sound’s most protean ecosystem, where the rhythms of existence fluctuate with the twice-daily expansion and contraction of our inland sea.
I wish we could all return to living in balance with the natural world. Tides and Moon cycles are still important to those who rely on the sea or the shore. But most people aren't paying attention, that is until their island is being submerged by the ocean.
Loved this-as an avid tidepooler (studied marine bio back in the day), I watch for the low tides to explore...but I confess I've not taken the time (nor likely had the patience) to spend 8 hours there. Thank you!!
David.....what a great idea and follow through! Perhaps at some point you can visit one of the more constricted areas to the north (W or SW Lopez, perhaps) where the exchanges induce big whirlpools and standing waves as the water hurries to keep up
David, what a fittingly thematic topic to my week! Next month, I am leading my rock club on a fieldtrip to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A few days ago, I spent quite a lot of time looking at tide charts and mapping distances on Google maps to plot and plan the itinerary.
Something that should have occurred to me, but didn't until I dug into the details, is that the ebb and flow means high and low tides happen at different times in different places. Low tide in Port Angeles is an hour and a half later than low tide at Neah Bay 70 miles away, for instance.
Perhaps my interest in tide charts triggered the algorithms to serve up a couple of tide-related videos this week, too. --I have to assume your topic is serendipitous, not part of the algorithm. :-)
Even though it's four years old, here's a Tom Scott video I was just shown explaining how tides cause isometric loading, which effects the height of a coastline.
-The Part of Britain that Rises and Falls Twice a Day
Really enjoyed this David-- what a fine idea to spend the day in one spot experiencing a full tidal cycle. Several years ago I started adding significant summertime minus tides to my calendar, mostly for low-tide explores with kids; it has had the effect of feeling a little more attuned to the rhythms of the Sound. Also having my office relocated to Harbor Island for the past two years where I can conveniently see (and smell) the level of the tide. Early in my earth science career, while conducting gravity surveys all over North America, the idea of earth tides (the daily vertical deformation of the earth's surface! due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon) was astounding. Despite being landlocked by over 250 miles and studying geology, my favorite college class by far, was the PROTEAN discipline of marine biology-- very likely due to the nine days spent at the UW Friday Harbor Labs.
Fun that you get and have taken the kids down to the water to see the tidal exchange. And, love the part about vertical deformation. I assume that that varies across Seattle, too?
My recently late husband, Gregory Reinemer, taught physics at Highline College. He did an extracurricular (?) talk on tides one time. I wish I could find a recording of it. He loved that stuff! I do, too. The summer I moved to WA, 1980, I took a class with lots of field trips at The Evergreen State College with Pete Taylor. It was called Coastal Natural History. I learned so much about my new region. Moon snail casings, turban snails, limpets, you name it.
One - I live close to the sound and have several private or public beaches I can walk to. My closest over the decades has brought observations from crow behavior, tides and tracking driftwood. Yes driftwood is a good sign of high tide in action. My favorite is the tree called High Tide Fort which decades ago someone wrote in marker on it's highest point as it stuck out into the sound. Alas, during one of our super storms during a king tide she was beached up against the bluff & has been somewhat stuck there for years. Now nature is pulling on her again and eroded the seemingly permeant bluff behind her. She should start floating again soon.
Second - During the pandemic I became obsessed with a clipper ship that was beached and salvaged on the beach south of the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock. Her name was the Glory of the Sea.
When I wrote my original article I was only able to find a small piece of the ship at low tide. It was not a super low tide so I took what I could get. However, recently, during the super low tide we had I walked back down to the site two days in a row and was able to see more of the not so glorious remnants of my lovely clipper.
This brought me to the beach while the tide was flowing out & I walked a mile or two to get to my poor ships site. Glorious days were had with a combination of water, sky, beach, and my historical research objective. If interested here is a link to that day's post.
Last - over the years I have noticed that the sound has a domed look when the tide is flowing in. It appears to be higher out in the middle of the channel between me and Vashon Island. Very pronounced to my naked eye. What do you know about that phenomena?
I wish we could all return to living in balance with the natural world. Tides and Moon cycles are still important to those who rely on the sea or the shore. But most people aren't paying attention, that is until their island is being submerged by the ocean.
Loved this-as an avid tidepooler (studied marine bio back in the day), I watch for the low tides to explore...but I confess I've not taken the time (nor likely had the patience) to spend 8 hours there. Thank you!!
David.....what a great idea and follow through! Perhaps at some point you can visit one of the more constricted areas to the north (W or SW Lopez, perhaps) where the exchanges induce big whirlpools and standing waves as the water hurries to keep up
Ohhh, that could fun!
David, what a fittingly thematic topic to my week! Next month, I am leading my rock club on a fieldtrip to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A few days ago, I spent quite a lot of time looking at tide charts and mapping distances on Google maps to plot and plan the itinerary.
Something that should have occurred to me, but didn't until I dug into the details, is that the ebb and flow means high and low tides happen at different times in different places. Low tide in Port Angeles is an hour and a half later than low tide at Neah Bay 70 miles away, for instance.
Perhaps my interest in tide charts triggered the algorithms to serve up a couple of tide-related videos this week, too. --I have to assume your topic is serendipitous, not part of the algorithm. :-)
Even though it's four years old, here's a Tom Scott video I was just shown explaining how tides cause isometric loading, which effects the height of a coastline.
-The Part of Britain that Rises and Falls Twice a Day
https://youtu.be/lCA0II1sVZA?si=075irBKczPHN9EQi
And, Veritasium also served up a mindblowing explanation of how tides are predicted. (Hooray for Lord Kelvin!)
-The Most Powerful Computer You've Never Heard of
https://youtu.be/IgF3OX8nT0w?si=rFbqFKYHA9tMJ9Xu
I like to think I am not part of some grander algorithm!
Really enjoyed this David-- what a fine idea to spend the day in one spot experiencing a full tidal cycle. Several years ago I started adding significant summertime minus tides to my calendar, mostly for low-tide explores with kids; it has had the effect of feeling a little more attuned to the rhythms of the Sound. Also having my office relocated to Harbor Island for the past two years where I can conveniently see (and smell) the level of the tide. Early in my earth science career, while conducting gravity surveys all over North America, the idea of earth tides (the daily vertical deformation of the earth's surface! due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon) was astounding. Despite being landlocked by over 250 miles and studying geology, my favorite college class by far, was the PROTEAN discipline of marine biology-- very likely due to the nine days spent at the UW Friday Harbor Labs.
Fun that you get and have taken the kids down to the water to see the tidal exchange. And, love the part about vertical deformation. I assume that that varies across Seattle, too?
Nice, David. This reminds me of the premise -- sustained observation -- behind Bill McKibben's 'Age of Missing Information'.
My recently late husband, Gregory Reinemer, taught physics at Highline College. He did an extracurricular (?) talk on tides one time. I wish I could find a recording of it. He loved that stuff! I do, too. The summer I moved to WA, 1980, I took a class with lots of field trips at The Evergreen State College with Pete Taylor. It was called Coastal Natural History. I learned so much about my new region. Moon snail casings, turban snails, limpets, you name it.
This rings true with me in so many ways.
One - I live close to the sound and have several private or public beaches I can walk to. My closest over the decades has brought observations from crow behavior, tides and tracking driftwood. Yes driftwood is a good sign of high tide in action. My favorite is the tree called High Tide Fort which decades ago someone wrote in marker on it's highest point as it stuck out into the sound. Alas, during one of our super storms during a king tide she was beached up against the bluff & has been somewhat stuck there for years. Now nature is pulling on her again and eroded the seemingly permeant bluff behind her. She should start floating again soon.
Second - During the pandemic I became obsessed with a clipper ship that was beached and salvaged on the beach south of the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock. Her name was the Glory of the Sea.
When I wrote my original article I was only able to find a small piece of the ship at low tide. It was not a super low tide so I took what I could get. However, recently, during the super low tide we had I walked back down to the site two days in a row and was able to see more of the not so glorious remnants of my lovely clipper.
This brought me to the beach while the tide was flowing out & I walked a mile or two to get to my poor ships site. Glorious days were had with a combination of water, sky, beach, and my historical research objective. If interested here is a link to that day's post.
https://batgurrl.net/2025/05/31/a-clipper-ship-obsession/
Last - over the years I have noticed that the sound has a domed look when the tide is flowing in. It appears to be higher out in the middle of the channel between me and Vashon Island. Very pronounced to my naked eye. What do you know about that phenomena?