Absolute Tides

[donm]

Can't find the 2026 upgrade in the Appstore - only 2025 is there. Has it been discontinued?

 

[Hacker]

I updated my app version with this years tide data a couple of days ago.

 

[Stemar]

Thanks for the reminder. I've just done mine 2026 now coming up.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Can't find the 2026 upgrade in the Appstore - only 2025 is there. Has it been discontinued?

In App purchase from the “ Menu” option.

 

[Pye_End]

Can't find the 2026 upgrade in the Appstore - only 2025 is there. Has it been discontinued?

Mine asked me if I wanted to download this year's data when looking at tides a week or so ago.

 

[donm]

Thanks all. Found it in the App under downloads.

 

[Hacker]

What triggered me was I looked at the app for HT a couple of days ago and looked outside and wondered why the tide was behaving itself. Then realised that the app had decided to show the same date but last year!

 

[ProDave]

How much does it currently cost for 1 years tide data? Can't find that anywhere and don't want to have to install the app just to find out how much.

 

[seeSimon]

How much does it currently cost for 1 years tide data? Can't find that anywhere and don't want to have to install the app just to find out how much.

£3 android

 

[ProDave]

So before I spend my £2.99 it says 39 standard ports and 500 secondary ports. That seems a low number. Does it show tide GRAPHS for all of those not just the 39 standard ports?

Or to put it another way does is show exactly what Admiralty Easy tide shows bur without the 7 say restriction?

 

[david_bagshaw]

Can't find the 2026 upgrade in the Appstore - only 2025 is there. Has it been discontinued?

just updated mine..

 

[david_bagshaw]

So before I spend my £2.99 it says 39 standard ports and 500 secondary ports. That seems a low number. Does it show tide GRAPHS for all of those not just the 39 standard ports?

Or to put it another way does is show exactly what Admiralty Easy tide shows bur without the 7 say restriction?

As an example, Avonmouth, Bristol main port , sharpness is one of many secondaries.. complete with graphs etc, for every day to dec 31 2026

 

[ProDave]

Okay I have spent my £2.99

This is going to take a period of "building up confidence" as the data is not identical to Easy Tide.

Today for instance. Port of Inverness.

Easy tide tells me 11:00 tide height 2.9m 17:00 tide height 2.6m

Those points chosen because we generally recon to be safe we need 3m above chart datum to get in and out of our drying harbour.

However Absolute tides with the just downloaded 2026 data says 10:50 3.1m and 17:10 3m

I would hate to be coming in on Absolute tides reconing and find we get stuck in the mud because Easy tide was right.

If they come from the same data set I would expect them to match.

 

[ithet]

So before I spend my £2.99 it says 39 standard ports and 500 secondary ports. That seems a low number. Does it show tide GRAPHS for all of those not just the 39 standard ports?

Or to put it another way does is show exactly what Admiralty Easy tide shows bur without the 7 say restriction?

Yes

 

[dunedin]

Okay I have spent my £2.99

This is going to take a period of "building up confidence" as the data is not identical to Easy Tide.

Today for instance. Port of Inverness.

Easy tide tells me 11:00 tide height 2.9m 17:00 tide height 2.6m

Those points chosen because we generally recon to be safe we need 3m above chart datum to get in and out of our drying harbour.

However Absolute tides with the just downloaded 2026 data says 10:50 3.1m and 17:10 3m

I would hate to be coming in on Absolute tides reconing and find we get stuck in the mud because Easy tide was right.

If they come from the same data set I would expect them to match.

According to their information on the app stores, Absolute Tides uses official UKHO data (unlike many other tide apps / sources). This also seems to be confirmed in the copyright statements under About.
Certainly it has always matched UKHO data when I have checked in the past.

However if you are going to get anxious about a 10 minute time difference between Absolute Tides and another source, you are perhaps not allowing for Mother Nature - Scottish tides don’t tend to read tide tables, UKHO or others, and things simply aren’t that precise.

PS Was amused by your earlier post wondering whether £3 was good value for only 500 secondary ports - at less than 6p a port seems quite a good deal

I have used Absolute Tides for many years in Scotland and elsewhere and it is perfect - keep a widget open on the home page of my phone which shows today’s tide at the local port.

 

[ProDave]

However if you are going to get anxious about a 10 minute time difference between Absolute Tides and another source, you are perhaps not allowing for Mother Nature - Scottish tides don’t tend to read tide tables, UKHO or others, and things simply aren’t that precise.

But I am not comparing it with any other random tide app. I am comparing it with Admiralty Easy Tide.

BOTH claim to use UKHO data, so you would expect them to agree to the second.

Another example, Tomorrow.
Absolute tides says high water 14:47 4.8 metres Low water 21:14 0.8m
Easy Tide says 15:10 4.7 metres Low water 21:43 0,7m

As I say a period of building up confidence to see which one is "right"

 

[Mark-1]

As I say a period of building up confidence to see which one is "right"

As others hint, neither will be right. Assuming it's true both use UKHO data they may select different harmonics, different versions of data, different correction tables, different rounding rules so it's entirely expected that values based on the same a data will be different. Atmospheric pressure and wind strength and direction dwarf the vast majority of the harmonics and they typically aren't even factored in.

For a leisure sailor, IMHO, if Easy Tide or Absolute Tide data isn't adequate for your purposes you're probably not giving yourself big enough margins for error.

 

[ithet]

But I am not comparing it with any other random tide app. I am comparing it with Admiralty Easy Tide.

BOTH claim to use UKHO data, so you would expect them to agree to the second.

Another example, Tomorrow.
Absolute tides says high water 14:47 4.8 metres Low water 21:14 0.8m
Easy Tide says 15:10 4.7 metres Low water 21:43 0,7m

As I say a period of building up confidence to see which one is "right"

You make a reasonable point. It must be because, even though they are using the same raw data (i.e. coefficients), there must be a difference in the algorithms and/or interpolation method. It just underlines that these are tidal predictions which is not an exact science.

 

[ithet]

You make a reasonable point. It must be because, even though they are using the same raw data (i.e. coefficients), there must be a difference in the algorithms and/or interpolation method. It just underlines that these are tidal predictions which is not an exact science.

I think we have missed something. Absolute Tides creates Inverness a as secondary port - using standard differences from Aberdeen I assume. I Expect Easy Tide has actual coefficients for it and for many secondary ports. They both give the same tide times/heights for Aberdeen. Standard ports show as all capitals on both systems.

 

[ithet]

Oh, but I get a slightly different first high today for primary port of Southampton, with Easy tide clearly is not giving the time of the highest point on its graph!

'What time is high water?' - Yachting Monthly