View Full Version : Falmouth Tide Questions


MarshCappa
10-25-2007, 09:49 AM
Woods Hole Little Harbor high tide for tomorrow is 8:42am, low is 3:40pm

Falmouth Heights is listed at 11:17am high, 5:14pm low

My stupid question is how can there be a 2 hour difference in such a short distance? I've never checked the tides in this area until this year so I had no clue there was a big difference. Curious to know why?

Rick Ackley
10-25-2007, 09:53 AM
Gauge station for Fal. Hts way up the cove, maybe?

nightprowler
10-25-2007, 10:00 AM
its a really fast moving tide. North shore of the vineyard is similar from Tashmoo to West chop, about 1.5 hrs.
its about a 20 min difference from WH LH to nobska too.

Flaptail
10-25-2007, 10:06 AM
Nobska is the division line from Boston to Newport. Anything east of Nobska is on Boston and west is Newport.

I was prowling that shore last night ( it was just too nice a night to waste watching baseball and I had every faith the sox were gnna crush the rockies anyway) The stretch from Falmouth heights to Nobska is a gray area of tide and time, the closer you get to Nobska the earlier the tide. Could be 40 minutes different ( read: earlier) at the 1/2 way point between Fal Heights and Nobska depending on wind and moon phase.

BTW, the place is infested with rat bluefish. Need the new moon for chance at bass along that shore if plugging.

numbskull
10-25-2007, 10:30 AM
Woods Hole Little Harbor high tide for tomorrow is 8:42am, low is 3:40pm

Falmouth Heights is listed at 11:17am high, 5:14pm low

My stupid question is how can there be a 2 hour difference in such a short distance? I've never checked the tides in this area until this year so I had no clue there was a big difference. Curious to know why?

There is a three hour difference between Buzzards Bay (4ft tide) and Falmouth Heights (1.5 ft tide). Just use Falmouth Heights and figure the other side is 3 hours earlier. What you are more interested in is the current. WoodsHole is slack about an hour before high water at the Heights, the tide in the sound starts ebbing about the same time as high water at the Heights. Since water depth only changes a few feet at most on the sound side, the current direction becomes the priority in choosing your spot, rather than water depth, at least for most spots. On Buzzards Bay side the beaches are shallow so you want high water or plan to wade out a ways.

capecodkid
10-25-2007, 05:55 PM
Yeah the falmouth tides are farely tricky. I fish it almost everyday in the summer and everyday on weekends spring and fall but I usually go by the falmouth heights tides. Its about an hour difference from Falmouth Heights to Waquoit. If its high at 2:00 at FH then its high tide at 3:00ish at Waquoit. If I go the other direction I sometimes use the Nobska charts. Trunk River is usually an hourish before falmouth heights.