Photo taken from the second floor veranda at high tide.

“Bali Sightings on the Beach”

Look carefully at this photo we took yesterday. This kid is burying his dog in the sand. We were shocked to see this and wondered why he was doing this.  The dog yelped a few times.

We were relieved to see the dog was eventually released from being buried in the sand and seemed OK.Note tongue sticking out. We see this boy and this dog daily when he brings the buffalo to swim in the river next door.  More on that later.

Most of us beach lovers have some perception of high and low tides along with the fact that it “comes and goes four times and day” and that the “moon and gravitational pull” also have some sort of bearing. The specifics on this are vague for many, including us.

It’s surprising how close the high tide comes to the houses along this beach.

Since we arrived in Sumbersari, Bali ten days ago we’ve had the opportunity to spend considerable time observing the tide “coming in” and once peaked, “heading back out again.” In this location, which varies all over the world’s beaches, we’ve observed enormous differences between high and low tides.

From the main floor veranda at high tide. There’s only the small distance of grass separating the pool from the ocean.

As a result, we started taking photos of this natural phenomenon, finding ourselves in awe of this daily event we may have taken for granted in the past. Our world is amazing in so many ways.

In many locations we’ve lived near the beach, but too far to notice these changes. On six occasions we’ve lived on the beach, some sand, some rocks and some, where the tidal changes were less evident.

The highest point of the tide with only the narrow strip of grass separating us from the sea.

The most dramatic tidal changes we’ve seen in the world have been here in Bali, which inspired us to share these photos and information with our readers today.The best information we could find online was at this US Nasa site. 

Not only did we like the clear and concise description of the world’s tides, but the included photos offered an opportunity to put this phenomenon into perspective. See below for details as we’ve included some of this information. For more details, please click the link:

Another high tide view.

“Tides and Time

High tides and low tides come and go, as the level of the sea goes up and down. This cycle of two high tides and two low tides occurs most days on most of the coastline of the world.

Why is that?

Wait, what?

If the moon’s gravity is pulling the oceans toward it, how can the ocean also bulge on the side of the Earth away from the moon? It does seem a little weird. Gravity is the major force causing tides, but inertia is playing a part too. Inertia is matter’s resistance to change. It wants to keep doing whatever it’s doing, whether that’s moving in a straight line or staying still, until another force acts on it. While the water closest to the moon is getting pulled, the water farthest from the moon is staying right where it is. Both sides are experiencing gravity and inertia, but one always overpowers the other. On the side of the moon, gravity wins. On the side away from the moon, inertia wins. These two bulges explain why in one day, there are two high tides and two low tides. 

Are these high and low tides the same height everywhere on the planet?

No.  If Earth were perfectly round and completely covered in water, then high and low tides would be equally proportioned everywhere. But Earth is not a perfect sphere, and there are big continents getting in the way of water flowing and bulging in the direction of the moon. That’s why in some places, the difference between high and low tide isn’t very big, and in other places, the difference is drastic.

The tide had started going back out.

Does anything else affect tides?

The sun has a part to play in tides as well. For instance, when the sun’s gravitational pull lines up with the moon’s gravitational pull, the tides are more extreme.  Wind and weather patterns also can affect tides. Strong offshore winds can move water away from coastlines, exaggerating low tides. Onshore winds can push water onto the shore, making low tides much less noticeable. High-pressure weather systems can push down sea levels, leading to nice sunny days with particularly low tides. Low-pressure systems that lead to cloudy, rainy days, often cause tides than being much higher than predicted, so watch out!”

These descriptions are exactly what we needed to further explain the tides. We hope this information has been helpful in clarifying it for our readers as well. Today, at almost 11:00 am, we see the tide rapidly moving closer to our villa. 

As the tide begins to recede.

Its expected to be at its highest around 11:30 am, the time of day we took the high tide photos we’re posting here. Six hours later it was at its lowest as also shown in our photos.

After the tide recedes at the end of the day.

Have a beautiful day, hopefully with an opportunity to observe one of nature’s magical phenomenon’s whether it’s the full moon rising, a sunset or a changing tide.

Once the tide recedes, we can see the sandy berm once again where most of the activity of humans and animals takes place at varying times of the day when the tide is low. We’ve yet to see any activity during the high tide which convinces us that locals pay special attention to the tides.

Photo from one year ago today, May 10, 2015:

Tom waited with me in the exam room at the urgent care center in Kapaa, Kauai when I was having lower abdominal pain which later proved to be nothing worrisome after I had a CAT scan in Australia in July. For more details, please click here.