Following the retirement of 3G services late last year, the Lord Howe Island (LHI) tide gauge at the jetty was unable to transmit data. 

However, through a successful collaboration between the Manly Hydraulics Lab and the Lord Howe Island Board (LHIB), the system has now been reconnected via the LHIB’s Starlink network, restoring its operation.

As an added benefit, the tide gauge now transmits near real-time data every 15 minutes—a major improvement from the previous 3+ hour delay.

The LHI tide gauge at the jetty provides real-time tide levels, which can differ by up to 50 cm or more from predictions. These variations, including extreme low tides observed in May last year, are driven by broader oceanic processes and can impact local operators and services.

Accurate tide data is especially critical for the Island Trader, which relies on precise tide heights to determine when it can safely enter the lagoon.

Please note that the online tide gauge is in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Therefore, it will be 1 hour behind local time in summer and 30 minutes behind in winter.

Tide data is available on the Manly Hydraulics Lab – LHI Tide Gauge webpage.

If the page does not load, try refreshing with F5 or opening it in an incognito browser window.

We’d like to thank Manly Hydraulics Lab for delivering this upgrade in tidal monitoring for the Island.