Chapter 2 Tides

Understanding the tides is crucial for planning and carrying out safe sea kayak trips. In some areas of the UK, the falling tide uncovers vast areas of seabed, making channels unusable and sometimes making launching and landing very hard. This can be particularly problematic around the Norfolk coastline and other areas with large shallow sand and mud flats.

Tide gauge near Anchorage, Alaska. The Severn Estuary in the UK has a similar tidal range. Photo: NOAA