Southend Beach Hut Owners Association
During the summertime at the beach many of us will be taking the opportunity for lovely walks out on the sands at low tide which of course are very pleasant as well as being good for our feet, which may not have seen the light of day through the winter.
Most mud walkers on our shore tend to make a beeline for the Mulberry Harbour which is a very popular attraction. As lovely as it is out there, it can be dangerous if you don't pay attention to the tides. The Mulberry itself sits on a sandbank which is surrounded by gutways (small channels). As the tide turns and starts to flood, these gutways fill up quite quickly and can cut people off from shore if they stay out on the sandbank too long.
'Make sure you are aware of what's happening around you'​
So how do you make sure that this doesn't happen to you? In a nutshell you need to know a bit about the tides and how they work on our shore.
Firstly, check the time of the last high water and add six hours for the time of low water. You should already be on your way out before low water as the tide will turn and start to come back in an hour after low water.
While you're walking out, as you walk through any water take note of the direction in which the weed on the seabed is streaming. If it's streaming out towards the sea, it means the tide is still going out. If it's streaming in towards the land it means that the tide has already turned and is coming in, so you should be thinking about heading back in.
If you're already out on the sandbank keep an eye on the time and any signs that the tide has turned, such as gutways starting to fill up, or anchored ships out in the channel turning to face the incoming tide (bow towards Shoebury).
If you see this, or if it is an hour past low water, it's time to start heading back to shore. Don't be the last ones to leave. If you see numerous people heading back it could be that they know something that you don't, so join the general move to shore.
The body of tide comes in from the Shoebury direction and heads towards Southend. So, if you encounter water getting deeper on your way back keep heading towards the shore end of the Pier and the water will gradually get shallower. You can adjust where you want to head for on the shore once you're clear of the deeper water.
If you do find yourself in difficulty and can't make it to shore, don't delay. Call for help. Ideally if you have a mobile, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If you don’t have any other means of summoning help, wave your arms repeatedly. Someone ashore will see you and call for help. But don't stop until help arrives.
'Tides can be controlled by wind and what's happening in the North Sea'
'*' A Spring tide is a tide with the greatest difference between high and low water, occurring when the gravitational forces of the sun and moon align to reinforce each other. This happens twice a month, during the new and full moon phases, causing higher-than-average high tides and lower-than-average low tides. The term 'spring' refers to the water 'springing up', not the season of spring.
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​A Neap tide is a tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is least difference between high and low water.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Ian Robinson is a Local Waterman & Lifeboatman and also the Membership Officer of the SBHOA.
A WATERMANS DIARY
written by Ian Robinson
There are some other general things to be aware of which will help you to plan your mud walks more safely and effectively.
Normally the tide will go out further on higher tides than it will on lower tides. It will also come in and go out faster and there will be more current.
Your Tide table will tell you the predicted height of high tide as well as its time. It varies between around 6.2 metres (spring* tides) and 4.6 metres (neap* tides). This height is the difference between low water and high water as measured by the tidal station at Southend Pier Head. You can normally reckon that tides below 5.3 metres in height will not go off very far and might not be suitable for walks out to the Mulberry.
Wind conditions can also affect how far the tide goes out and how early it comes back in. It's often not as you would expect, as there is a broader picture to consider.
What happens in our Estuary is influenced by what is happening out in the North Sea.
Strong winds from the North/Northwest/Northeast will tend to hold the water in at Southend, make high tide higher, and make the tide come back in earlier. Winds from South/Southwest will do the opposite.
So, having digested all the foregoing, enjoy your lovely times out on the sands, look out for unusual natural things such as razor fish shells and sea urchin shells, and appreciate that we have these wonderful surroundings to enjoy.