1. TIDES
&
CURRENTS
Reading the Tables

2. General flow of water into and out of Puget Sound
FLOOD
EBB

3. Tide Stations Port Townsend Seattle
These stations are measuring stations. All other tides in the Lower Puget Sound are calculated as offsets of these measurements.
Port Townsend
Seattle

4. Puget Sound – Secondary Tide Stations
These stations are the locations where calculations have been established that allow tide predictions for an area closer to where you are boating.

5. Chart 30 View
Blake Island/Vashon Island

6. Finding tides
1. Find the closest Primary Station to your paddling area
Port Townsend
Seattle
For this exercise, we will be paddling around Blake Island.
Hence, Seattle will be our Primary Tide Station.

7. Finding tides
2. Find the times of the tides at the primary station for the date of your paddle (for our example, May 13, 2017)
Secondary Station Height
Secondary Adjustment
Primary Station Height
Secondary Station Time
Primary Station Time
Tide
11.2 Feet
-1.0 Feet
9.8 Feet
6.3 Feet
825 PM
High
112 PM
Low
622 AM
122 AM

8. 3. Look under the primary tide station heading and find the secondary station(s) closest to your area of paddling

9. Chart 30 View
Blake Island/
Vashon Island
Here is our put-in and proposed route in green.
Here are the closest secondary tide stations in red.
The secondary station having the most impact on our put-in point is Point Vashon.

10. 4. Enter the secondary station’s time adjustment into the calculation table
High Water
Low Water
Secondary Station Height
Secondary Adjustment
Primary Station Height
Secondary Station Time
Primary Station Time
Tide
11.2 Feet
-1.0 Feet
9.8 Feet
6.3 Feet
825 PM
High
112 PM
Low
622 AM
122 AM
+ 0:02

11. 5. Calculate the time adjustment for the secondary station.
High Water
Low Water
Secondary Station Height
Secondary Adjustment
Primary Station Height
Secondary Station Time
Primary Station Time
Tide
+ 0.02
11.2 Feet
-1.0 Feet
9.8 Feet
6.3 Feet
825 PM
High
112 PM
Low
622 AM
122 AM

12. 6. Enter the tide height adjustment into the calculation table.
High Water
Low Water
Secondary Station Height
Secondary Adjustment
Primary Station Height
Secondary Station Time
Primary Station Time
Tide
+ 0.02
11.2 Feet
-1.0 Feet
9.8 Feet
6.3 Feet
825 PM
High
112 PM
Low
622 AM
122 AM
124 AM
624 AM
114 PM
827 PM
*1.01
*1.02

13. *Note the asterisk … refer to the note 23 on page 11.
7. Calculate the height adjustment for the tide.
High Water
Low Water
Secondary Station Height
Secondary Adjustment
Primary Station Height
Secondary Station Time
Primary Station Time
Tide
+ 0.02
827 PM
114 PM
624 AM
124 AM
11.2 Feet
-1.0 Feet
9.8 Feet
6.3 Feet
* 1.02
* 1.01
825 PM
High
112 PM
Low
622AM
122 AM
6.4 Feet
10.0 Feet
-1.0 Feet
11.4 Feet
*Note the asterisk … refer to the note 23 on page 11.

18. Fern Cove
At low tide

19. Now on to currents…
The five primary current stations for Puget Sound are:
San Juan Channel
Rosario Strait
Deception Pass
Admiralty Inlet
The Narrows

20. 1. First we locate the prime current station that will most likely influence our paddle.
San Juan Channel
Rosario Strait
Deception Pass
Admiralty Inlet
The Narrows

21. 1. First we locate the prime current station that will most likely influence our paddle.
Even though the Narrows is the closest primary current station, it does not control the flow of water at our paddling location.
Admiralty Inlet
The Narrows
On a Flood, Admiralty Inlet controls the flow of water coming south and thereby dictates the current for Blake Island.
The same is true on an Ebb flow.
Can you see why?

22. If you hover over the tide or current stations, the
predictions/TNCMap.htm
If you hover over the tide
or current stations, the
name of the secondary
station will appear.
Blake Island, southwest of

23. 2. Look up the currents for the prime current station on the date of our trip.

24. 3. Enter the times and the max currents on the calculation sheet.
Primary Station Time
Secondary Time Adjustment
Secondary Station Time
Primary Current (in Knots)
Secondary Current Adjustment
Secondary Station Current
Ebb
Slack
0248
Flood
0430
0.6F
0612
1030
3.0E
1418
1724
2.4F
2048

25. 4. Look up the secondary current stations for adjustments
Primary Station Time
Secondary Time Adjustment
Secondary Station Time
Primary Current (in Knots)
Secondary Current Adjustment
Secondary Station Current
Ebb
Slack
0248
Flood
0430
0.6F
0612
1030
3.0E
1418
1724
2.4F
2048

26. 5. Enter adjustments into calculation table.
Current
Primary Station Time
Secondary Time Adjustment
Secondary Station Time
Primary Current (in Knots)
Secondary Current Adjustment
Secondary Station Current
Ebb
Slack
0248
-2.58
Flood
0430
-2.37
0.6F
*0.2
0612
-1.06
1030
-0.25
3.0E
1418
1724
2.4F
2048

27. 6. Calculate times and currents at the secondary station.
Primary Station Time
Secondary Time Adjustment
Secondary Station Time
Primary Current (in Knots)
Secondary Current Adjustment
Secondary Station Current
Ebb
Slack
0248
-2.58
2350
Flood
0430
-2.37
0153
0.6F
*0.2
0.1F
0612
-1.06
0506
1030
-0.25
1005
3.0E
0.6E
1418
1120
1724
1447
2.4F
0.5F
2048
1942

28. TIDES CURRENTS High 624 AM 10.0 Low 114 PM -1.0 827 PM 11.4 Ebb 1005
Secondary Station Time
Secondary Station Height
High
624 AM
10.0
Low
114 PM
-1.0
827 PM
11.4
CURRENTS
Current
180 E 005 F
Secondary Station Time
Secondary Station Current
Ebb
1005
0.6E
Slack
1120
---
Flood
1447
0.5F