Ask whether you need height or movement
A tide table helps place a trip within the rise and fall of water level. It does not directly tell you how quickly water is flowing past a bridge, through an inlet, or along a shoreline. Those questions require current information. The distinction matters for drift, paddling effort, maneuvering, and the interaction of moving water with waves.
Outgoing Tide provides a separate Currents panel because the two products are not interchangeable. Treat it as another source to examine, not an automatic conversion of the selected tide chart. A tide station ID should not be mistaken for the identity of a current-prediction station.
Three current displays in Outgoing Tide
The main page separates the Current Calendar, Current Speed graph and ocean-current map. Start with the display that answers your question; they do not share one interchangeable data source.
- Current Calendar: NOAA tidal-current predictions at the identified current station. The month arrows change the prediction month. Read the event time, speed, direction and station context before comparing a departure and return.
- Current Speed: available NOAA observations are solid; predictions after the observation period are dashed. Positive values represent flood and negative values ebb where a direction classification is available. Zero on this signed graph represents slack, not missing coverage. Gaps remain gaps. Hover to inspect a value; NOW marks the present rather than the selected timeline time.
- Ocean-current map: NOAA RTOFS model flow at approximately 14.8 ft depth. Colors show speed and moving particles show direction. Colors do not encode flood versus ebb, and the model is not a current-meter observation at a marina or inlet. Missing coastal coverage is not zero flow.
Check the controls in this order
- Read the current source station, which may differ from the tide station selected in the header. The distance is context, not a guarantee of local relevance.
- Read Speed units and Depth / bin. Feet per second, knots and meters per second are different scales. A bin identifies a depth-specific data product; it is not automatically the surface current.
- Check the device timezone shown on the graph and the calendar date. On the map, read the model forecast time separately.
- Use View Current Detail for the station view. If data is unavailable, use Refresh Currents; a successful retry still does not establish coverage at your intended passage.
Open the Current Calendar · Open Current Speed · Open the weather and ocean-current map
Read the source before the speed
Check the current station name and its relationship to Homebase. The website can select a compatible NOAA current station that is separate from the selected tide station, and the displayed location and distance disclose that distinction. Even the nearest available compatible station may be too remote to answer a detailed question about your route.
A prediction belongs to its source setting. Where the provider identifies depth or other station details, those are part of the context. Flow can differ across a channel and through the water column. A single prediction is not a uniform field of water movement over the entire map.
Flood, ebb, and slack need local context
Flood and ebb describe the two main directions of tidal flow in a setting. Slack refers to a period of weak flow around a turn, where that behavior applies. Direction labels and bearings need to be read using the product's definitions rather than inferred from the orientation of a decorative arrow.
The time of high or low water is not a universal time of slack current. The relationship varies by location. For St. Augustine and the Matanzas River, do not create a rule that shifts every current turn by the same amount from City Dock's tide table. Consult the relevant official product and local navigation information for the actual passage.
Understand what a prediction leaves out
Predicted tidal currents describe a recurring component of flow. Real conditions can also be affected by weather and other water movement. A prediction is not a live current meter beside the boat. If a panel provides a predicted value at the selected timeline time, that value should not be described as an observed speed.
An unavailable prediction means coverage or data is missing, not that the water is still. A missing direction should remain unknown. Do not infer a northward bearing, a zero speed, or a safe crossing from an empty field. The surrounding planning content and official links remain useful when the live panel cannot answer the question.
Use the timeline for a route comparison
Look at both departure and return, checking the selected date and time. Ask how the predicted direction relates to the route and whether a change could alter the effort or handling required. Keep the source location in the note so a later screenshot is not mistaken for a forecast at another place.
Compare wind and waves separately. Opposing flow and waves can make a passage more difficult, while a favorable current direction does not resolve hazards such as traffic, obstructions, or limited room to maneuver. Do not calculate an exact trip duration by applying one station's predicted speed across every segment.
Hypothetical planning example: a separate regional station
A boater selects St. Augustine and opens Currents. The panel identifies a different station some distance away. The boater checks that station's location and decides it offers regional context but does not establish conditions at the intended inlet passage. They consult suitable official and local sources instead of transferring the number directly.
If the local question remains unresolved, they change the route or postpone the exposed segment. The example shows that successfully loading a prediction is not the same as finding a representative prediction. A map vector can be accurate for its source and still be insufficient for a particular decision.
Keep a useful record of uncertainty
For a current-dependent plan, record the source station, time, direction convention, predicted speed units, and why the source is relevant. Note separately any observations you make on arrival, without calling those observations proof of a permanent timing relationship. Conditions from a single trip cannot establish a reliable local offset.
When reporting a suspected error to Outgoing Tide, include the selected tide station, the separately displayed current station, timeline time, and official comparison. This helps distinguish a source mismatch from a display problem. Use official navigation products and appropriate local knowledge for actual passage planning; the dashboard does not certify navigability or provide vessel-specific operating limits.
References and data sources
Sources support the physical concepts and data definitions. Planning examples are hypothetical, not field reports or forecasts for a particular day.