This tide clock centres on the south Dublin shoreline between Merrion Strand and Monkstown, where the wide sands, mudflats and channels of Cockle Lake and Booterstown Marsh give way to the deeper water off Blackrock and Salthill. The chart still marks Martello towers at Williamstown and Salthill, once part of a Napoleonic-era defensive chain and now familiar landmarks beside the DART line, while the shifting sandbanks and drying patches hint at how quickly the tide floods and retreats across this stretch of Dublin Bay.

These shores were also home to the famous Blackrock Baths, a vast open‑air seawater complex built beside the railway in the 1830s and later rebuilt with a 50‑metre pool, diving platforms and spectator stands for crowds of swimmers and water‑polo fans. Although the baths were closed in the late twentieth century and finally demolished in 2013, the tradition of sea swimming lives on, with locals still using the nearby beaches and slips to get into Dublin Bay in all seasons

What is a tide clock?

A tide clock is a device that tells you if the tide is high or low, and how much time is left before it changes. It works by synchronising with the lunar cycle, which influences the tides. The tide clock has a single hand that rotates once every 12 hours and 25 minutes, which is the average time between two high tides or two low tides. The dial of the tide clock is divided into sections that indicate the state of the tide: high, low, rising, or falling. By looking at the position of the hand, you can tell what the tide is doing and how long it will take to change.

Why use a tide clock?

A tide clock can help you plan your activities around Blackrock by letting you know when the water is high enough or low enough for your preferred activity. For example, if you want to swim, you might want to avoid low tide, when the water is shallow and cold, and the mudflats are exposed. If you want to fish, you might want to avoid high tide, when the water is deep and fast, and the fish are dispersed. Going sailing, surfing, or kayaking? You might want to choose a time when the tide is rising or falling, which creates more favourable conditions for these sports. If you want to walk along the shore, you might want to choose a time when the tide is low, which reveals more of the beach and the wildlife.

What are the details of the Blackrock Tide Clock?

• 260 mm x 260 mm  and 45mm deep. (10″ x 10″ x 1.75″)
  
• Heavy duty professionally printed canvas.
• Solid-Wood frame.Select from either black or white.
• Real Glass
  
• Delivered in a presentation box with “Who knows what the tide may bring” printed on it.

The Blackrock tide clock contains full instructions on how to set and how to read a tide clock.

This is not a navigation device.