The moon’s gravitational pull on the Earth and the Earth’s rotational force are the two main factors that cause high and low tides. The side of the Earth closest to the Moon experiences the Moon’s pull the strongest, and this causes the seas to rise, creating high tides.

In the Maldives the tides are not effected by a large landmass like for instance in Europe. In the Maldives the tidal wave is the pure wave moving over the surface of the earth from east to west induced by the gravity of sun and moon and not disturbed by any landmass.

During high tide, water from the Atlantic Ocean pushes inland (west) into inlets, canals, and the Intracoastal Waterway, causing water levels throughout the area to rise and backflow into the city’s storm system.

On the far side of the Earth, inertia dominates, creating a second bulge. The relative distances and positions of the sun, moon and Earth all affect the size and magnitude of the Earth’s two tidal bulges. At a smaller scale, the magnitude of tides can be strongly influenced by the shape of the shoreline.

The relationship between the masses of the Earth, moon and sun and their distances to each other play a critical role in affecting the Earth’s tides.

As the moon revolves around the Earth, its angle increases and decreases in relation to the equator. This is known as its declination. The two tidal bulges track the changes in lunar declination, also increasing or decreasing their angles to the equator.

The actual tidal forces are stronger at the equator and weaker at the poles, because the Moon generates the tidal forces.

Tidal range is lower at the equator because of the axial tilt of the earth. That tilt means that the relative distance between the earth’s surface and the moon (the two main gravitational sources that drive the tides) changes more at the poles than at the equator.