How to Tell If Water Is Experiencing a High Tide?

Look at the beach. This is the quickest and least scientific indicator. Do you notice any lines of seafoam or seaweed about 50 feet higher up on shore from the farthest reach of the water? If you do, you're likely looking at a low tide. These lines of foam and debris usually mark the farthest point at which the water washed in.

Track the moon. The moon's gravitational pull actually orchestrates Earth's tides. When the moon is directly overhead, a high tide is likely occurring. Look for the times of high tide to be a bit more even, and the height of the tide more prominent, when there's a new moon or full moon. Likewise, high tide will be a bit more difficult to differentiate during the moon's quarter phases, because they will occur at odder times of the day and differ less in height from low tide.

Note the time of day. Knowing that high and low tide will each occur twice in a 24-hour period, you can start "counting" at the time the moon is directly overhead. After that, it's safe to assume that the next high tide will occur 12 hours later.