What is the time gap in occurrence of two successive tides at a given place on the ocean surface?

The time gap between two successive tides (specifically high tides or low tides) at a given place is approximately 12 hours and 25 to 26 minutes [3]. This interval is determined by the lunar day, which lasts 24 hours and 50 minutes [3]. A lunar day is longer than a solar day because while the Earth rotates on its axis, the Moon also revolves around the Earth in the same direction [3]. Consequently, it takes the Earth an additional 50 minutes to return to the same position relative to the Moon [3]. Since most coastal areas experience a semidiurnal tidal pattern—consisting of two high and two low tides per lunar day—the interval between successive high or low tides is half of the lunar day, resulting in roughly 12 hours and 25.2 minutes.

Sources

1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 32: Ocean Movements Ocean Currents And Tides > Ebb And Flood > p. 503
2. [3] https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_tides/tides05_lunarday.html
3. [2] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 11: Keeping Time with the Skies > A step further > p. 189