Big Spanish Key Tides Today
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Big Spanish Key runs a mean tidal range of about 2.8 ft. This month the highest water, 5.0 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 29, and the lowest, a -0.1 ft minus tide, on the morning of Oct 28.
| High tide | 4:58 AM | 4.7 ft |
| Low tide | 1:20 PM | 0.4 ft |
| High tide | 7:05 PM | 2.6 ft |
Today on the water at Big Spanish Key
Today at Big Spanish Key: high tide at 4:58 AM (4.7 ft) and 7:05 PM (2.6 ft), low tide at 1:20 PM (0.4 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for today is chance showers and thunderstorms with E winds 15 to 20 mph, 82°F. Wind that strong can hold water in or push it out, so the real tide may run above or below these predictions. Sunrise is at 7:31 AM and sunset at 6:46 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms | E 15 to 20 mph | 82°F |
| Tonight | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms | E 20 mph | 77°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Big Spanish Key is
Big Spanish Key sits at 24.7883° N, 81.4117° W on the Florida Keys, where the Atlantic meets Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, about 3 mi northwest of Big Pine Key, FL. The station here is a subordinate tide prediction point. NOAA has no gauge in the water at this spot; its times and heights are published as offsets from a reference gauge, named below. The closest gauge measuring live water level is Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay (NOAA 8723970), 19.9 mi away, and high and low water here run on average about 30 min later than there. The nearest weather station is Vaca Key, FL, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, 19.9 mi away.
The tide at Big Spanish Key
Big Spanish Key has a semidiurnal tide: two highs and two lows a day of about the same size, roughly 12 hours 25 minutes apart. This month's predictions average 1.9 high tides a day here. The mean range from lower low to higher high is 3.2 ft, and 2.6 ft between the average high and the average low, a moderate tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.3 ft and the lower low sits 0.3 ft below the other low. For the water around it: The Keys sit on a tidal seam: the ocean side has two semidiurnal highs a day near 2 ft, while the bay side is smaller and more diurnal, so tides on opposite sides of one key can differ by hours.
About this station
- High tide reaches Big Spanish Key about 6.1 hours after the moon passes overhead. That lag is local, which is why high water does not line up with the moon.
- NOAA predicts tides here from Key West, station 8724580. High tide comes about 199 min later and low tide about 269 min later than there.
- High tide heights run about 1.97 times the reference.
Datum and source
Heights on this page are feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), the zero NOAA's nautical charts use for soundings. A predicted 0.0 ft low is the average of the lower low each day; a minus tide is water below chart datum, and a 2 ft high means 2 ft more water than the chart shows. NOAA fixes MLLW at Big Spanish Key from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 3.2 ft above it and mean sea level 1.6 ft. These datums are controlled from NOAA's Key West, FL gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8724246, established 1973, gauge removed 1974. The tide times and heights are published as time and height offsets from its reference gauge; TidalMap republishes them daily and does not alter them.
Tide stations near Big Spanish Key
- Content Keys, Content Passage: 4.5 mi, tides about 36 min earlier
- Sawyer Key, outside, Cudjoe Channel: 9.6 mi, tides about 10 min later
- Sugarloaf Key, north end, Bow Channel: 11.1 mi, tides about 34 min later
- Sugarloaf Key, Pirates Cove: 11.4 mi, tides about 208 min earlier
- Park Channel Bridge: 12.2 mi, tides about 196 min later
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Big Spanish Key this month: Oct 1, Oct 12, Oct 26, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30, Oct 31. These spring highs push water up into the grass and over the oyster rock; prime for poling into flooded marsh for tailing reds.
🔻 Negative (minus) low tides at Big Spanish Key this month: Oct 27, Oct 28. These drain the flats and expose the oyster rock, prime for sight-fishing and clamming.
Best fishing times (solunar)
Major and minor solunar windows for Big Spanish Key, peak feeding activity is around the moon overhead/underfoot (majors) and moonrise/moonset (minors). Score is the day's activity coefficient (0–100).
| Day | Major windows | Minor windows | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today 🌖 | 5:05–7:05 AM 5:30–7:30 PM | — 12:12–2:12 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 6:05–8:05 AM 6:30–8:30 PM | 11:03–1:03 AM 1:01–3:01 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 7:01–9:01 AM 7:26–9:26 PM | 12:11–2:11 AM 1:44–3:44 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:52–9:52 AM 8:17–10:17 PM | 1:16–3:16 AM 2:22–4:22 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:40–10:40 AM 9:05–11:05 PM | 2:17–4:17 AM 2:57–4:57 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:26–11:26 AM 9:51–11:51 PM | 3:16–5:16 AM 3:30–5:30 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 10:11–12:11 PM 10:36–12:36 AM | 4:14–6:14 AM 4:03–6:03 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8724246. Solunar windows computed from the moon's position for this location. Times shown in the station's local time. Not for navigation.
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