King Tides

This upcoming week, Sept. 6-12, the lowcountry will experience some of the highest tides of the year.

"King Tides" is a nickname for the highest tides of the season. In the lowcountry, we experience roughly 2 high tides and 2 low tides each day which average about 8.5 feet. Spring tides are larger than normal and occur when the moon and sun are in alignment with the earth (during the full moon/new moon). Neap tides are smaller and occur when the sun and the moon are perpendicular to the earth (moon in first or third quarter). The moon's path around the earth is not exactly circular - so sometimes the moon is just a little bit closer to the earth. When the moon is closest to the earth AND we experience a full or new moon, the tides are even further exaggerated and we can call these "King Tides".

Be on the lookout over the next week to observe the effects of these extra large tides. You can help DHEC visualize the impact of extra-high tides by reporting photos of the effects at http://mycoast.org/SC#. 

The highest tides also mean that redfish will have access to feeding areas that they normally cannot reach because the water level is not deep enough. So this is the best time of the year to go out on the flats looking for tailers!