CoastCoastCue field guide
How to read a tide chart without guessing
A tide table looks simple: times and heights. The useful part is understanding what those numbers describe, what they leave out, and how the water changes between the printed events.
Start with the station
A tide table belongs to one NOAA prediction station. Two nearby beaches can turn at different times when an inlet, river, bay, or barrier island changes how the tide moves. Confirm the station name and coordinates before reading any number. Distance is a search aid, not proof that the station represents your exact fishing spot.
High, low, and movement
High and low are turning points, not all-day conditions. Water normally rises between a low and the next high, then falls toward the next low. For fishing, the rate and direction of that movement can matter more than the single highest or lowest number. CoastCue plots the shape of the day so you can see the transition instead of treating each event as an isolated appointment.
Height needs a datum
A height such as 4.8 feet is incomplete without its reference surface. CoastCue and these station pages use MLLW, Mean Lower Low Water. The number is a predicted elevation above that datum, not the depth under your boat and not the amount the ocean will rise from its current position.
Prediction is not observation
A tide table is mathematical prediction. Wind, atmospheric pressure, river flow, and storms can push the observed water above or below the table. If NOAA operates a live sensor, CoastCue can show an Observed value and labels it separately. If no sensor exists, the honest answer is that the page has a prediction, not a live measurement.