Mixed semidiurnal tides
How do you say that in Spanish?
1 Answer
We in English are often fixated on details. For example in a diurnal tide there is the highest high, the lowest high, the highest low and the lowest low each day. Charts in the US are based on the mean low water which calculated of the approximately 20 year tidal cycle. In Canada the use the lowest low for their charts.
Thus with this background I was surprised when I came to Mexico that in general there are only high and low tides. There may be two highs or two lows, or like here in the Sea of Cortez sometimes only one or two changes per day. We have truly mixed up tides here yet they are simply referred to as high and low tides. If you want to get picky a number is attached to them.
Now if you want to get picky there are probably proper names for these tides. But if you use them only the most well informed will have a clue as to what you are talking about.
Another area like this that at first gave me problems was the use of the words "grua" and "pipa". Where in English we have a specific word for every type of transport here everything from a tow truck to a barge to a crane is a grua. Pipa refers to any type of tanker, such as, water truck, gasoline truck, propane, etc. If it is cylindrical it is a pipa. The details are unimportant.
