High Tide Push

[surph]

One day the waves were very small (1-3 feet) and the tide was incoming. At one point I saw a wave swinging wide at this one spot further up the coast, which I've learned is a good indication that a nice set will come, so I paddled out and one of the waves in the set ended up being much bigger than any of the waves that day. It was about 6 feet tall. I was surprised because it seemed like this wave had come from a totally day. I caught the wave and rode it about 1/2 a mile in to shore, and when I paddled back out one of the regulars there said something like "Wow! that was a nice wave, must be the high tide push" and I've heard that term many times after that at many different spots. Has anyone else heard that term before? And if so, does anyone know how exactly the tide rising could affect the wave height? (btw, this spot, along with most spots in my town, is very tide sensitive and best on low tide)

[oldmansurfer]

I have not heard of that but incoming tides can make tidal bores or waves that flow up rivers so it might make bigger waves or waves just from the tide?.........I just went and looked it up and yes there is a thing called tidal push or tide push where the incoming tides increases the wave size or at least the energy of the waves

[Big H]

From SurfLine:

Tide is the periodic rise and fall of the waters (measured vertically) of the ocean and its inlets or big lakes. This phenomenon is produced by the attraction of the moon and sun. The tide has a sinusoidal~ pattern between levels of maximum high tides and a minimum low tides every day.

Now, how this affects surfing?... Well, every break has it's favored tides, which is mainly due to the bathymetry of that specific break. However, usually most spots favor a 'low going high' or when the tide is on the rise, 'filling in'. This is the believed "tidal push" which may help the forward momentum of waves. The tide is pushing in as the waves move in, toward a common direction, a surge if you will. Whereas, an outgoing tide may counter the the incoming momentum of waves to a very small degree. However, keep in mind that this is all speculation, as this subject is still under research.

[surph]

Thanks for the replies! I guess there isn't much research on this subject, mainly just speculation, but interesting speculation nonetheless. There's still a lot about surfing that we have yet to discover especially concerning bathymetry. Hopefully there will be more research focused on wave science in the future!

[oldmansurfer]

This study seems to support it http://thereefjournal.com/files/2._Davidson_O_Hare_and_George.pdf

[RinkyDink]

Thanks for the replies! I guess there isn't much research on this subject, mainly just speculation, but interesting speculation nonetheless. There's still a lot about surfing that we have yet to discover especially concerning bathymetry. Hopefully there will be more research focused on wave science in the future!

It doesn't seem that mysterious to me. Waves are forms of energy moving through the water. Tides are forms of energy moving through water. If a wave and a tide line up together and combine their energies, then you might get something of an energy spike that a person who has observed this phenomenon often might decide to call a "tidal push". Big H's Surfline entry explains it pretty well, in my opinion. I have had the luck of spending time in an area with large tidal swings so I guess I've had more opportunities to experience the power of the tides.

[surph]

This study seems to support it http://thereefjournal.com/files/2._Davidson_O_Hare_and_George.pdf

That's an interesting study! It's nice to see some more research being done on wave science.

[surph]

Thanks for the replies! I guess there isn't much research on this subject, mainly just speculation, but interesting speculation nonetheless. There's still a lot about surfing that we have yet to discover especially concerning bathymetry. Hopefully there will be more research focused on wave science in the future!

It doesn't seem that mysterious to me. Waves are forms of energy moving through the water. Tides are forms of energy moving through water. If a wave and a tide line up together and combine their energies, then you might get something of an energy spike that a person who has observed this phenomenon often might decide to call a "tidal push". Big H's Surfline entry explains it pretty well, in my opinion. I have had the luck of spending time in an area with large tidal swings so I guess I've had more opportunities to experience the power of the tides.

Yeah, it makes sense that the tide and the waves going in the same direction would increase the waves energy, or at least not decrease it. I just find it hard to believe that the tidal push would effect the wave size as much as it did on that day. It seemed like that wave was from a totally different day! Maybe it wasn't the incoming tide but something else instead.

[dtc]

keep in mind how waves are formed - basically ripples/wind blown small swells travel across the ocean. They are at different speeds so often join together to make a bigger swell. Then eventually hit shallow water and break. So the waves you see are created by events miles offshore and several days ago (how far and how long ago depends on how far offshore there is before you hit land eg Hawaii and it could be created anywhere in the Pacific).

Its not uncommon, for whatever reason, for several mini swells to join together and then those larger swells join together just for one wave (the 'freak' wave or 'rogue' wave) or for a set of waves (why we have set waves and then smaller waves in the middle) or for 20 minutes of bigger waves. Could be anything, just an extra gust of wind 100 miles offshore 2 days ago.

The tide will play a part, but the variables in wave formation are so great that for any given wave or set, you cant really tell what has caused it