Tides | Ebb and flood

The beaches Middelkerke are never the same width because of the tides. When you are in Middelkerke, you might want to take a walk on the beach. It is very useful to know what the tide is.

You will find the astronomical water level forecast for Cadzand for the two following months.

These forecasts apply to average meteorological conditions and are calculated by the Dutch Ministry of Transport. In the two upper tables, the high tide is given in positive centimetres, and the low tide in negative centimetres, relative to NAP (general Dutch level).

Ebb and flow

The phase of retreating water is called ebb. A beach will get bigger during ebb. In the Waddenzee or Oosterschelde, mud plates will appear, which makes it possible to go hiking to the islands. At the end of ebb period, the water is at the lowest point: this is called low tide.

The phase of rising water is called flow. A beach will then get smaller, narrower. Big mud plates, like in the Waddenzee or Oosterschelde, will overflow with water during flow. The water level reached at the end of the flow phase is called high tide.

The time between the start of one flow and the start of the next flow is on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.