Tides
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of sun and moon on the ocean water. Tides in the eastern Caribbean are of low amplitude (on the order of 1 meter or less) as there is an "amphidromic" point nearby in the central eastern Caribbean around which the tidal wave travels. At this point, the tidal amplitude is by definition zero. The Caribbean amphidromic point is about 200 km south of Puerto Rico. Tides in the Caribbean are diurnal with one low and one high per day while tides in the Atlantic are semidiurnal with two lows and two highs per day. Tidal motion can account for a significant fraction of the total observed current. Tidal currents in the Mona Passage, for example, are substantial. Tides are measured at coastal sea-level stations operated in our region by NOAA and the Puerto Rico Seismic Network.
There currently are three types of tidal elevation data products available from the NWS. Real-time observations are available from in-situ sea level stations at several locations. The NOAA sea level station network has been augmented with instrumentation from thePuerto Rico Seismic network. These real-time tide data sources are listed below. In graphical format the real-time data are plotted together with the NOAA tide predictions for a user-specified time period. Tide data listings, both observed and predicted, for these stations are obtained by selecting the corresponding options in the plot window and saving in a text file.
Observed Data and Graphical Predictions are available for the following active stations within the CaRA region:
9751364 Christiansted Harbor, St Croix, VI
9751381 Lameshur Bay, St. John, VI
9752695 Esperanza, Vieques Island, PR
9758053 Penuelas (Punta Guayanilla), PR
For a full list of active stations see
Tide Data
Tide Forecasts