Tide Time Offset Calculator

Apply published time corrections from a NOAA primary tide station to estimate high/low tide times at a secondary station.

Inputs

From NOAA Tide Tables / chart-corrections supplement. Positive = later than primary; negative = earlier.

Tabulated ratio < 1 = smaller tide range; > 1 = larger range.

Result

Secondary HIGH / LOW times
14:55 / 08:20
Primary 14:30 +25 min high; 08:00 +20 min low. Ratio 0.85 → range 4.08 ft.
  • Primary HIGH time14:30
  • Primary LOW time08:00
  • HIGH time correction+25 min
  • LOW time correction+20 min
  • Secondary HIGH time14:55
  • Secondary LOW time08:20
  • Primary HIGH height5.2 ft
  • Primary LOW height0.4 ft
  • Height ratio0.850
  • Secondary HIGH height4.42 ft
  • Secondary LOW height0.34 ft
  • Primary tide range4.80 ft
  • Secondary tide range4.08 ft

Step-by-step

  1. Secondary HIGH = primary HIGH + 25 min = 14:55.
  2. Secondary LOW = primary LOW + 20 min = 08:20.
  3. Secondary heights = primary × ratio (0.850): HIGH 4.42 ft, LOW 0.34 ft.

How to use this calculator

  • Look up the next high and low tide at your nearest NOAA primary station (tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov).
  • Get the time and height corrections for your secondary station from the NOAA Tide Tables Table 2 or your chart's tidal-station data.
  • Enter primary times in 24-hour HH:MM and corrections in minutes (positive = later, negative = earlier).
  • Height ratio < 1 means smaller tides at your station; > 1 means larger range.

About this calculator

NOAA / CO-OPS publishes a primary network of ~210 US tide stations with continuously-measured water levels. Thousands of "secondary" stations exist as published time-and-height corrections relative to the nearest primary — typical corrections are ±5-90 minutes in time and a height ratio between 0.5 and 1.5. This calculator applies those corrections to predict secondary-station tides from a known primary prediction. Limitations: time/height corrections are themselves long-period averages and may be off by 5-15 minutes during extreme weather, near solstices, or in shallow estuarine waters where the tide propagation is more dispersive. For navigation, always cross-check NOAA Tide Tables and your chart-correction supplement.

Frequently asked

Primary stations need permanent NOAA-maintained gauges + decades of harmonic-analysis records. Setting up and maintaining one costs ~$50-100k/year. Most US coastlines are served by ~10-15 km between primary + secondary entries.

Related calculators

More tools you might like