In many places in the country, people are accustomed to the river flowing in one direction when are they kayaking. In New Jersey, because many of our rivers are coastal and connect to the tidal Delaware River or to the Delaware Bay, the water can flow in both directions based on tide. Kayaking in tidal waters requires extra planning.
How far up a river the tide runs depends on the river. On the Cohansey River, the dam at the bottom of Sunset Lake delineates the shift to tidal waters. Sunset Lake and the streams above the lake are not tidal; whereas, below the dam, the river is tidal.
More about tides
There are 2 low tides and 2 high tides within the course of each day. During a low tide, the water has “gone out” toward the bay and the ocean, and more land is exposed. When absolute low tide is reached, the tide reverses and the tide begins to “come in” toward the land until it reaches high tide.
During a high tide, the water is coming toward the land and less land is exposed. When absolute high tide is reached, the tide once again reverses, and the waters move out toward the ocean again.
This cycle repeats twice per day. Because it takes time for the tides to flow in and out, the time of absolute low and high tides vary at different locations.
Kayaking in tidal waters
If you are planning to kayak a tidal river, you will want to run the river in the direction of the current. You will want to take advantage of the tide by paddling the same direction the tide is heading, and avoid paddling when the tide is heading the opposite direction of where you want to go. You will want to check the tide tables to find out when tide is going out and when it is coming in, in order to plan for the safest trip.
Tide Tables
Go to this link and click on #7 to go to the Delaware Bay area:
http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/newjerseysites.html
Look for Greenwich Pier, Cohansey River, or Tindalls Wharf, Cohansey River
USGS Seeley Station (Shiloh, NJ)
For real time flow data at Seeley from the USGS visit here.
USGS Greenwich, NJ
For real time flow data at Greenwich Boat Works from the USGS visit here.
There’s an app for that!
There are numerous apps for tides and for fishing. If you are looking for a free app for just tides, check out “Tides Near Me“ available for both Android and iPhone.