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An updated tidal current atlas for the Salish Sea!
An updated tidal current atlas for the Salish Sea!
The links below provide download access for a new tidal current atlas for the Salish Sea in PDF format. This new atlas follows the same basic structure and function of the 1984 DFO Current Atlas Vol 3: fixed hourly current maps with accompaning calendar look-up tables.
The updated tidal current maps are generated using Matlab and the tidal model of Foreman et. al. (2004). The first Volume 1 covers the same geographic region of the original, including Victoria, the San Juan Islands, the Gulf Islands, and the southern Strait of Georgia. Volume 2 covers Puget Sound and Volume 3 the northern sections of the Strait of Georgia. Volumes 4 and 5 are coming soon.
To use these new tidal current maps, download the appropriate Atlas volume and the associated Calendar Lookup Table file for the year of interest. These maps must not be used for navigational purposes and provide only an approximation to the tidal current patterns. Mariners must carry official government charts and tide tables.
Salish Sea Tidal Current Atlas - Volume 1 (PDF) This volume covers the region from Victoria to the Southern Strait of Georgia, including the San Juan and Gulf Islands. The PDF file is 363 pages and 170 MB (large). Save the PDF file to a computer, phone, or tablet. Save trees by not printing. Single (smaller) sub-region (A, B, C, etc.) PDF files are also available, see below.
Calendar Lookup Tables for Volume 1: A set of calendar based lookup tables to link dates and times to maps found in SSTCA Volume 1, year specific.
SSTCA Volume 1 Calendar Lookup Tables - 2026 (PDF)
Due to the size of the full Volume 1 map file (170MB), I have posted here files (44 pages each, <50MB) containing only maps for each sub-region of Volume 1: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.
A supplement (133MB) to Volume 1 includes ten minute tidal current maps during the flood to ebb transition at High Slack and from ebb to flood at Low Slack, covering the period from 10 minutes prior to slack through to 60 minutes after slack. Slack tide is referenced as the "turn" times reported in the CHS Tide Tables (Vol 5) for Race Passage. These maps show how the tide turns first in the boundary layers. They are not time specific, but show current patterns during slack tides.
Salish Sea Tidal Current Atlas - Volume 2 (PDF) This volume covers the Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea. The PDF file is 403 pages and 128 MB (large). Save to a computer, phone, or tablet, avoid printing.
Calendar Lookup Tables for Volume 2: A set of calendar based lookup tables to link dates and times to maps found in SSTCA Volume 2, year specific.
Salish Sea Tidal Current Atlas - Volume 3 (PDF) This volume covers the Northern Strait of Georgia region of the Salish Sea. The PDF file is 363 pages and 166 MB (large). Save to a computer, phone, or tablet, avoid printing.
Calendar Lookup Tables for Volume 3: A set of calendar based lookup tables to link dates and times to maps found in SSTCA Volume 3, year specific. Volumes 1 & 3 tables are the same.
Disclaimer:
The use of data sourced from either the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) or the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) in these products shall not be construed as constituting an endorsement by either CHS or NOAA. These products do not meet the requirements of the Charts and Nautical Publications Regulations, 1995, (repealed in 2020, prior version) under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, nor any NOAA regulations as official government publications. Official CHS charts and publications and NOAA charts and tide tables, corrected and up-to-date, must be used to meet the requirements of these regulations. The Salish Sea Tidal Current Atlas is not a Government of Canada nor a US Government publication.
All feedback or comments should be directed to the author, Richard Dewey
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