How to read a tide table in 3 steps

Time, height and moon phase: make sense of the numbers and find the best moment for your outing.

A tide table may look complicated at first, but there are just three things you need to know to enjoy the natural pools.

1. The time of low tide

Most days have two low tides and two high tides. For an outing, look for a low tide during daylight hours — and arrive a little before the time shown.

2. The water height

The number next to the time shows the sea level in meters. The lower, the better: close to zero, the pools become shallow and the water clearer.

3. The moon phase

Full and new moons bring spring tides, with the lowest low tides of the month. These are the favorite days for trips to the pools.

A daytime low tide, close to zero, with a full or new moon: the perfect day for the pools.