Weather
Small boat users should be aware that a stiff breeze blowing against a strong spring tide can result in difficult conditions, with short, steep waves in the channel.
You can find the latest Met Office Shipping Forecast and all the current Inshore and Coastal detail on the BBC Weather Site.
Latest UK Surface Pressure Chart and predictions.
Tide Times
Visit My Harbour is a brilliant website – home of a trove of public access navigation information. Here is a link to their tide page for Weston.
If you are after predictions of tide curves, then you can use the Admiralty’s Easy Tide web site. Here is a link to their Weston Bay prediction.
Easy Tide for W.S.Mare
alternatively Tideschart
River Axe
This is probably only of interest to those of us that insist on rowing.
The river can have a very strong ‘up-river’ flood flow on spring tides. Other times, at least with normal rain-fall, the incoming tide flow is weakened by the river. If the river gets depleted, then obviously the flood tide will have a greater effect.
There’s very little in the way of ‘slack’ water.
When the ebb tide adds to a strong river flow, there can be 3 to 4 knots or more of current.
However, the wind can funnel up the river, so don’t rely on a fair ebb flow to get you back to the pontoon from your mooring – in breazy conditions, it can be impossible to row against the wind. Be prepared to leave the boat on the river bank and walk back!
Tides
The Eastern end of the Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range anywhere in the world. It’s actually the highest naturally occurring tidal range in open waters, the other being due to a convenient restriction in a channel.
There are links here to several sources of information here, including a local table published by Somerset Council.
Water users will need to consider these factors before attempting to navigate the river, or when venturing out into the channel.
Weston Bay Tidal Stream
Weston Bay is a large flat area which, on spring tides, dries almost to a line between Brean Down and Birnbeck from where the bottom falls away rapidly.
This line also marks the edge of the tidal flow which is ALWAYS clockwise in the bay, which means a constant flow westward along Brean Down. This can throw up quite rough seas in this area when the wind is in the West.
This tide stream can reach 4 knots.