Water Safety Advice and Resources

Do you know the best time to swim in the sea? Throughout the day, the sea water rises and falls (or comes in and goes out). The tide is ever changing. If it’s high tide one morning, it’ll be low tide at the same time the following week, and back to high tide again the week after that.

Understanding the tide times in Southend (or wherever you plan to swim) is key for knowing when it’s safe to swim… and when you’re best enjoying a beachside picnic and coming back to swim another time.

Every day there are high and low tides. These change each day by approximately 60 minutes. 

A rising sea is known as a flooding tide. This is when the tide is coming in. A high tide occurs when the tide is fully in. 

A falling sea is known as an ebbing tide. This is when the tide is going out. When the tide is fully out, the sea is at low tide.

The tide is affected by the moon and sun’s gravitational pull. There are two main tide types that occur during the monthly tides cycle. These are called spring and neap tides.

Spring tides are very high tides followed by a very low tide. These tides (particularly in Southend) will come higher up the beach at high tide. Spring tides occur twice per month on a new moon and full moon. 

Neap tides, that fall between the spring tides, are tides that are lower at high tide but are followed by higher low tides. The differential between the high tide and the low tide heights is less than with a spring tide. 

Understanding tide times as a sea swimmer protects you from potential hazards. Flooding tides can cut you off, leaving you stranded from the shore, and may hide potential hazards in the water.

Meanwhile, ebbing tides could pull you from nearer the shore or reveal obstructions and hazards in the water. 

The safest time to swim in the sea is during a slack tide. A “slack tide” is when the water is most still. This means there is less water moving and currents are weaker. However, rip currents can still occur at slack tides so always stay aware of potential riptides.

Slack tide happens during the hour before or after a high or low tide. Check the local tide times and aim to swim one hour before or after the specified time of the high and low tide.

Wherever you choose to swim it is key that you obtain local tide information and safety advice for that particular area. If the beach is lifeguarded this is the perfect place to get correct information. There are also numerous swimming groups around the country that are happy to share safety advice. 

To check the tide times in Southend, visit tidetimes.org.uk. You can also buy a printed book of Southend tide times to make sure you know all the tide times for the year ahead.

The online Southend Tide Times shows the predicted high and low tides for each day. It also provides tide graphs and the sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset times.