Standard Port

A tidal reference location for which independent predictions of high- and low-water times and heights are published.

A standard port provides the base data from which published corrections can be applied to associated secondary ports. The exact prediction method, time zone, datum, interval and available stream information depend on the responsible hydrographic publication.

It is a prediction reference rather than a guarantee that conditions are representative throughout the harbour or nearby coast. Weather, river flow and local bathymetry can change observed water levels, and a port can be standard in one publication but treated differently in another.