Tide Basics
Incoming vs Outgoing Tide: What It Means
Tide direction changes how water moves through inlets, beaches, channels, and sandbars.
Incoming tide
An incoming tide means the water is rising toward the next high tide. Shorelines fill in, channels deepen, and currents can behave very differently around inlets and passes.
For many people, this is the key context missing from cluttered tide tools. Direction often matters as much as the exact height.
Outgoing tide
An outgoing tide means the water is dropping toward the next low tide. Sandbars, shell lines, flats, and shallow structure become easier to see as water drains away.
That can be helpful for shell hunters, anglers targeting moving water, and photographers looking for texture and reflective sand.
Why people check direction first
If you spend time around the water, tide direction often answers the practical question faster than a dense forecast table does.
Tide Buoy keeps this simple by highlighting whether the tide is currently coming in or going out.
Live tide charts
Read here. Plan in the app.
Live tide charts are available in the Tide Buoy iOS app. Web tide charts are coming soon.