Tides - About UK Hydrographic Office

What does the UK Hydrographic Office do?
UKHO is a government agency, responsible for compiling and publishing the navigational information which mariners require for accurate, safe and efficient navigation at sea. Its principal customer is the Royal Navy, for whom it provides a range of hydrographic, oceanographic and geophysical products and services.

UKHO's renowned global series of Admiralty charts is also sold to the world's merchant marine, to enable ships to comply with the UN Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) regulations. Nearly 70% of all large (SOLAS) ships worldwide use UKHO charts and publications.

UKHO is a self-financing organisation, relying wholly on income derived from the sale of its products and services to fund its operations, including new developments. Based in Taunton, Somerset, in the South West of England, the UKHO employs nearly 850 people across a range of specialisms including chart compilation and production, navigational textual editing and publishing, physical oceanography, geodesy, and the technical aspects of the Law of the Sea.

Tidal Information
UKHO's tidal information is collected from sources all over the world and published annually as Admiralty Tide Tables (ATT), in 4 volumes. It has long been regarded in the maritime world as an authoritative source of accurate tidal predictions for primary and secondary ports worldwide. TotalTide is a digital version of ATT, distributed on CD-ROM. These products are produced with large commercial and naval ships in mind, and to satisfy international carriage requirements.

For the average leisure mariner, for the holidaymaker, and for other enthusiasts of coastal pursuits such as surfing, diving, canoeing, fishing, coastal climbing - and many other users of the beach - an on-line seven day tidal prediction service has been introduced, first launched on UKHO's website and now providing an automatic feed through the BBC servers to the BBC Weather Centre.

Predictions are displayed in the form of a tidal curve graph, with a table of High Waters and Low Waters for the period chosen.

For more Tidal information, see our Tides - Frequently Asked Questions section or visit the UKHO website.

If you have any comments on the tidal prediction service supplied by the UKHO, please contact them via their feedback page.