![Paul gallant](https://loka.nahovitsyn.com/110.jpg)
One such tool is called “The Guestimator” – the name doesn’t inspire great confidence! We have read many accounts of the inaccuracy of all of the tide estimation tools. There are tide charts and applications for predicting when tide will be ebbing or flowing in specific places. This is an example of an outgoing current or ebbing tide meeting open ocean on the outside of a pass – pretty calm in this example.
![tickey to ride tickey to ride](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0921/7330/products/6_e94da3e8-5972-4cb0-ab1a-1807be9d6b22_510x@2x.progressive.jpg)
If the current is incoming, often the inside portion of the pass has the short, steep waves where the incoming tide is meeting the waters of the atoll.
![tickey to ride tickey to ride](https://images.pushsquare.com/screenshots/105048/large.jpg)
When the tide is strong and collides with incoming ocean swell, one can encounter short, sharp waves as well as eddies that bounce a boat one way or another. When the tide in the pass is outgoing, or exiting a pass, there are usually choppy, abrupt areas of water near the outward end of the pass. That means that four times a day, at each tide change of two feet, our imaginary atoll moves the same volume of water as 887 olympic sized pools through a pass(es). Instead consider that an olympic sized pool holds 660,000 gallons of water. A two foot tide change would displace 585,366,279 gallons of water but it is hard to relate to that number. Let’s imagine a perfectly round atoll that has a diameter of 10 miles.
![tickey to ride tickey to ride](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yPWqKkMKz3E/maxresdefault.jpg)
To add a bit of perspective about tides within a pass, consider that the lagoon of an atoll can be miles in length and width. Diurnal tides empty or fill an atoll every six hours. Once a navigable pass is found, the state of tide within the pass must be considered before attempting to enter. The pass into Makemo Atoll during calm waters.
![Paul gallant](https://loka.nahovitsyn.com/110.jpg)