It’s easier to decide what to do if you know whether the tide is in or out. The action of the tide is very complex and involves many factors.
Calculations necessary for compiling official tide tables are usually done by computer. This tide clock does not claim to give the exact time of each tide at a given place, but will give the average time - which is all the average person needs to tell them when they can go boating, fishing or enjoy other tidal experiences. The primary motivator of the tides is the moon. The average duration between two transits of the moon around the earth is 24 hours, 50 minutes, and 30 seconds - This is referred to as the “lunar” or “tidal” day. Your Tide Clock has four hands - The tide indicating hand, running 50 minutes late every 24 hours, and thus indicating the average times of tides at given points. Then there are the usual hour, minute, and second hands.