All Hail the King Tides!  King tides are a type of Spring tide that has nothing to do with the season but instead is related to the word itself meaning to “jump, burst forth and rise”.  And that is exactly what the ocean does.

What causes this jumping, bursting, and rising?  It is the result of the sun, moon, and earth forming a line that creates additional tidal force.  The tidal force is a gravitational pull of the moon on our oceans that bring higher high tides and lower low tides.

This simple explanation can be delved into more  at the Ocean Conservancy site https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2020/02/06/moon-affect-ocean/?ea.tracking.id=22HPXGJAXX&gclid=Cj0KCQiAorKfBhC0ARIsAHDzslsqh7S7wxp1X1ehDl4sm-Jc0Ex1zl7gWrNz1PCZcH7aKkP3Druf8nYaAvfjEALw_wcB

Being on the West coast in the spectacular Pacific Northwest, I’m lucky to have access to incredible locations that bring out the best of the King tides.  A combination of seafloor, sea cliffs and unique access to this tri-annual event lets me share the drama.  I hope my images translate a bit.  In the images below, please note on the left the people on top of the cliff.  That cliff is roughly 75-80 feet.  Take a look at that wave coming – that’s a HUGE wave!  The spray on the second photos is well over 100 feet.  Hope you enjoy the tides as much as I do.  Check out my wave shop – more images coming soon! https://nancyrenwick.com/product-category/fine-art-prints-waves/