Rockport Tide Station

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TexasJim
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Rockport Tide Station

Post by TexasJim »

The Rockport Tide Station appears to be back up and reporting. It was destroyed in Hurricane Harvey, and NOAA COOPS told me that it would hopefully be re-installed in late 2018 and operational in early 2019. I've been driving by the Rockport Harbor looking for progress, without seeing anything, but they obviously re-located it to the Southern-most pier in the Harbor, and it's reporting. I'll check it out next time I'm in town.

The station, RCPT2, or 8774770, reports air and water temperature, wind speed and direction, and projected and measured tide levels about every half hour. It's nice to know what the water level really is, not what Solunar calculations say it's gonna be. Wind and other anomalies can alter the water level up to two feet. That reporting station has been in place since 1937! Glad to have it back.

You can Google RCPT2, or 8774770, and you'll get numerous hits. The site that says NDBC-NOAA RCPT2 RECENT DATA will link you to the site, and you can click on the blue underlined listing that says Water Level, and you'll get all the station info updated within the last half hour. Enjoy! TexasJim
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Ron Mc
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

Post by Ron Mc »

NOAA has really stepped back in their number of reporting sites, certainly due to a budget trim.
For Lower Laguna Madre, they used to report tide predictions and actual at Bird Island, Baffin Bay, Port Mansfied, Realitos Point, Port Isabel, and S. Padre.
Now Port Isabel is the only fully functioning tide station in Lower Laguna Madre - you can get water temperature and winds at the others. And having the winds at the others is nice.

Seeing the projected tide is still important for planning trips. Seeing the actual water levels are important for the short term, but don't help with advance planning.
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TexasJim
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

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Yeah, Ron: After "de-funding" of most all the T-COON and COOPS stations in 2014, there were only six real-time reporting stations on the Texas Coast: Sabine, Galveston, Freeport, Rockport, Port Aransas and Port Isabel. Many times, I could look at the Solunar tide predictions and go out to the kayak launch and see only grass and mud! I had to start driving to a launch ramp I was familiar with to get some idea of the actual state of the water level. Port Bay and Copano Bay can vary a lot from the Rockport level, depending on wind and how much rain the Aransas River watershed has received. There also seems to be about an hour delay between low tide at Rockport and low tide at the Copano Bridge. I wish there was a tide station in or near Baffin Bay.
I enjoyed your report from the Arroyo and Laguna Madre. When I evacuated to Harlingen for Harvey, I took my kayak and my skiff, so I could fish, but only got to go to Port Mansfield & kayak fish with Z~Man. My RV survived, so I came back quickly, and didn't get out to Arroyo City. I have in-laws in Harlingen, so I might do a trip down there. TexasJim
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Ron Mc
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

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From what I learned on the Laguna Atascosa NWR website, it looks like they closed the roads to vehicle traffic after a pair of ocelots were struck and killed there in 2012. They've working to make the roads safe for ocelots by giving them specially designed culvert crossings so they don't have to cross on the pavement. The roads are reported to open up again early next year. If so, Arroyo will become a killer kayak destination, by giving us drive-up access to Rattlesnake Bay at Realitos and Red Head Cove.
It might even be possible to launch at North Point for a one-mile paddle to Green Island.

55 of these cats have been counted in S. Texas
Image
https://www.lifegate.com/people/news/te ... undepasses
Last edited by Ron Mc on Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

Post by Ron Mc »

holy cow guys, this is a lot more interesting than even more facebook fraud and exposing juvenile sex fantasies.

This could be a killer result for everybody. Access means income for the NWR, we get a really hot kayak destination, kitties are safe from cars.
Last edited by Ron Mc on Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Neumie
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

Post by Neumie »

Glad to see the Rockport tide gauge is back up and running.

C'mon Ron, just trying to help people out. Cuervo, well Cuervo may need to see a doctor , lol.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

Post by Ron Mc »

you get it bro, but anyone who thinks they can get a new motorized kayak for $99 deserves what they get

Ocelots in Texas is cool - there's even been a game camera of a jaguar in Arizona - if there, they're likely hiding in Texas somewhere, too.
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TexasJim
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

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I didn't know there were ocelots in the Laguna NWR, but the Wildlife guys have been monitoring at least one group in the ranches between Raymondville and Riviera for a few years. I hope they rebound and prosper. If they open the NWR to public vehicles, it'll probably look like a plastic armada off Horse Island. At 73, I'm not gonna be kayaking there from A. Tomae Park! TexasJim
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

Post by GoDoe »

Thanks for this post. I had missed not having the station info for tide levels. Pretty quick turn around I guess considering all the damage.
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TexasJim
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Re: Rockport Tide Station

Post by TexasJim »

GoDoe & others: I drove by to look at the new tide station. It is tiny compared to the one it replaced. Also, it's bolted to the seawall, rather than being on a finger pier(which is what failed in Harvey). The picture posted in the station site is the old one. I would say the new one is 10% or less in size.No box. Maybe it will survive. It also has solar panels, which, I assume, powers the telemetry data. Good work, COOPS & NOAA.
Caught two fish today. A 20" Spec and a PB Red of 29", on a sail line with live mullet. No paddling.
TexasJim
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