Slack water timing is typically observed during which part of the tidal cycle?

• A. At high and low tide
• B. At low tide only
• C. Mid-tide
• D. At high tide only

Answer: (A)

Slack water is the brief moment when the tidal current is essentially zero as the flow changes direction. In a typical tidal cycle, the water is moving in (flood) toward high tide and then reversing to move out (ebb) toward low tide. The turning points occur around both high and low water, so the current slows to a stop at those times, producing slack water. Mid-tide often has stronger current, not slack, because that’s when the water is moving the fastest. So slack water timing happens at both high and low tides.