A tide table can look reassuringly precise: a time, a height, another time, another height. Before using any of those numbers, read the surrounding labels. A neatly copied figure from the wrong station or date is still the wrong figure.
Start with the place and the day
Identify the named station and the date covered by the table. Do not silently substitute a nearby place because its name looks familiar. If you are comparing two tables as a learning exercise, keep the station names in both sets of notes.
Next, read the time-zone information, including any daylight-saving convention. Copy that label with the time. A screenshot cropped down to four numbers removes precisely the context a later reader needs.
Height needs two more labels
Check the units and the vertical reference, often called a datum. “1.2” alone does not say whether the height is in metres or feet, or the reference from which it is measured. Do not assume a tide height directly states the usable depth at a particular place.
For practice, make a five-line card: station, date, time zone, height unit, datum. Then add the source address and the date you retrieved it. An unexplained field is a reason to consult the publisher’s guidance, not to guess.
A prediction is one part of the picture
NOAA’s tide guidance distinguishes astronomical predictions from water-level changes influenced by weather. It also cautions against assuming that high or low tide automatically coincides with slack current.
Use the responsible local hydrographic authority for the location concerned. This reading exercise does not replace current charts, warnings, local advice or a skipper’s passage planning. For the basic terminology behind the table, start with the difference between tides and currents.