Definition of Ebb and flood tides:
Ebb and flood tides are defined in two different ways:
- Ebb is the tidal phase during which the water level is falling and flood the tidal phase during which the water level is rising;
- Ebb is the tidal phase during which the tidal current is flowing seaward (ebb current) and flood is the tidal phase during which the tidal current is flowing inland (flood current).
The two definitions do not coincide (see also the discussion page). The first definition is more usual for the open coast and the sea; the second definition is more usual for tidal inlets, estuaries and tidal rivers. This is the common definition for Ebb and flood tides, other definitions can be discussed in the article
| 
