Ever tried to walk out to the Drake’s Island at low tide and ended up with soggy boots? Or maybe you parked your car a little too close to the slipway in Plymouth, Massachusetts, thinking you had hours? Tides are tricky. Honestly, looking at a tide chart for Plymouth is basically like reading a weather forecast—it's a solid guess, but nature often has its own plans.
Whether you are in Plymouth, UK, or across the pond in Plymouth, MA, the water doesn't just go up and down. It breathes. If you're planning a boat trip out of the Barbican or a day at Long Beach, you need more than just a list of times. You need to know what those numbers actually mean for your day.
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The Plymouth, UK Pattern: Huge Ranges and Fast Water
If you’re looking at the tide chart for Plymouth (the Devonport station), the first thing you’ll notice is the range. It’s massive. We’re talking about a difference of over 5 meters between high and low water during spring tides.
On a typical day like today, January 16, 2026, the first high water hit at roughly 04:00 AM at about 4.6 meters. By 10:26 AM, it dropped to nearly 2 meters. That’s a lot of vertical water moving in a very short time.
What are Springs and Neaps?
People get these mixed up all the time.
- Spring Tides: These have nothing to do with the season. They happen when the sun and moon align (New and Full moons). Expect the highest highs and lowest lows. For 2026, keep an eye on January 5th and January 22nd. Those are your big "spring" days where the water is going to move fast.
- Neap Tides: These happen during the moon's quarter phases. The range is much smaller. The water feels "lazy." In January 2026, the neaps fall around the 14th and 29th.
If you’re a kayaker, spring tides are your best friend or your worst enemy. The current through the Plymouth Sound can get seriously spicy when 5 meters of water is trying to squeeze through the gap.
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Plymouth, Massachusetts: Shallow Harbors and Narrow Windows
Over in Plymouth, MA, the tide chart for Plymouth looks a bit different. The range is usually around 9 to 11 feet. While that sounds like less than the UK’s 5 meters, the geography of Plymouth Harbor makes it feel much more dramatic.
The harbor is famously shallow in spots. If you’re pulling a boat into the Town Wharf, a "low tide" of 0.5 feet (which we're seeing this afternoon, Jan 16, 2026) means you are going to see a lot of mud.
The "Rule of Twelfths"
Ever wonder why the tide seems to rush in during the middle of the day? Most seasoned boaters use the Rule of Twelfths. It's a quick way to estimate how much the water level changes each hour:
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- Hour 1: 1/12 of the range
- Hour 2: 2/12
- Hour 3: 3/12
- Hour 4: 3/12
- Hour 5: 2/12
- Hour 6: 1/12
Basically, the water moves fastest in the 3rd and 4th hours after low or high tide. If you're trying to clear a sandbar, those middle hours are when you'll see the most radical changes.
Why the Tide Chart Isn't Always Right
Here is the thing: a tide chart for Plymouth is a mathematical prediction based on the moon. It doesn't know about the wind.
If there is a massive low-pressure system sitting over the Atlantic or a strong onshore wind, the water can be pushed much higher than the chart says. In Plymouth, MA, a strong "Nor'easter" can effectively "hold" the water in the harbor, preventing it from receding fully. In the UK, a storm surge can add a meter or more to the predicted high tide, which is how the Hoe gets those spectacular waves crashing over the pool.
Practical Steps for Your Next Trip
Don't just glance at the first number you see on Google. Check the datum. Most charts use "Chart Datum," which is roughly the lowest astronomical tide. If the chart says the tide is 0.8 meters, that means the water is 0.8 meters above that base level.
Your 2026 Tide Checklist:
- Check the specific station: Make sure you aren't looking at "Plymouth" when you actually need "Breakwater" or "Devonport"—they can differ by 10-15 minutes.
- Look at the trend: Is the tide "Flowing" (coming in) or "Ebbing" (going out)? Never get caught on a sandbar or a rock ledge during an ebb.
- Wind direction: An offshore wind (blowing from land to sea) will often result in lower tides than predicted.
- The 50-minute shift: Remember the tide cycle shifts about 50 minutes later every single day. If high tide was at noon today, it’ll be closer to 12:50 PM tomorrow.
To get the most accurate, real-time data for the UK, the Admiralty EasyTide service is the gold standard. For Massachusetts, stick with the NOAA Tides and Currents station (ID: 8446493). They use live sensors that account for some of that wind-driven variation that a static paper chart simply can't predict.
The next time you're heading out, take thirty seconds to look at the curve, not just the peak. Knowing if the water is accelerating or slowing down can be the difference between a great day on the water and a very expensive call to a tow boat.