Set the timer to 145 minutes

How to use the online timer

While you watch the water and keep an eye on exposed rocks, boats or children near the shore, a countdown lets you follow the bay’s changing tide without repeatedly checking the clock. One hundred and forty-five minutes gives you a defined observation window while your attention stays on conditions around you, including slippery ground and waves reaching further up the beach.

As the tide moves through the bay, you may switch to charts, messages or photographs while leaving the countdown running. A laptop browser can slow or suspend a background tab, particularly if the computer sleeps, so the display may not update continuously even though elapsed time is later corrected. Keeping the device awake makes the remaining time easier to check during the cycle.

When following the water from more than one viewpoint, a phone is easier to carry along a harbour wall or coastal path, but battery saving can limit background activity. A laptop suits a sheltered, fixed position where its screen remains visible. Whichever device is used, local tide tables and harbour notices should guide the observation, as wind and pressure can alter what you see in a British bay.