Tides

One of my topics for the IDW/ICE was tides, and all though I understood the principles behind what makes it all happen, I've never really had the opportunity to witness this phenomena in action. The tidal range here at Kachemak Bay in Homer Alaska is one of the highest in the world, this week the range went from a low of -4.9 to a high of 20.5. That's a lot of water moving in and out of the bay! I had a quick lesson from local kayaking guru Tom Pogson at the Alaska Kayak School, and on a paddle across the bay we headed into China Poot Bay. It was our first trip out together, and had some folks along that wouldn't appreciate the "fun" in the middle of the channel so we stayed along the edges going in. The interesting thing in the middle of Katchemak Bay, there was very little current, the bay being around 300 ft deep pretty much allows the water in and out without much fuss. All in all it was a great day on the water, but we didn't get into the tidal action that day .. soon I hope!

Here is a shot of the same piece of driftwood at the high tide line during the high and low. If you click on the low tide shot you can see some people along the waters edge.