By Maria Allen
No matter if you’re planning to paddle a kayak up the North River for a picnic at Couch Beach or aiming to anchor your powerboat at The Spit for the afternoon, the same thing holds true–you’re going to need to know the tides. South Shore residents Mike Tedeschi and John Bizzozero recently launched an innovative and stylish new product that takes the guesswork out of being on the water.
NexTide is the worlds’ first Wi-Fi tide gauge. This patent pending device conveys highly accurate tide data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in a simple way, using animated color-coded light displays. With a NexTide device in your home, an individual can simply glance across the room to find out when the next tide will be, as well as the height of the water levels for the day. Unlike old-fashioned tide clocks, which aren’t always accurate or easy to interpret, NexTide easily syncs with the internet to ensure it consistently provides the most up-to-date and localized tidal information.
“Mike and I grew up summering in Rexhame and were surfers and beachgoers,” says Bizzozero. “The beach real estate at high tide was minimal so we were always reading the tides.”
The two friends officially launched NexTide in July of 2021 and started out by sending their products to friends and family. While their business is still a side hustle, their brand is already starting to gain traction and turn some heads in the boating world. The company was dubbed “Best New Exhibitor” at the Ocean City Gift Expo in 2021, and awarded “Best Booth Display” at the 2022 New England Boat Show in Boston.
The technology for NexTide was developed by Tedeschi, who is an electrical engineer by trade. Bizzozero, who manages a nursing home by day, is a self-taught woodworker who spends his nights and weekends in his Humarock garage cutting out the wooden shapes needed for each NexTide using a laser machine.
In addition to being an informative device, NexTide is designed to look attractive sitting on your kitchen counter. A variety of different coastal designs are currently available, including several modeled after iconic lighthouses (think Scituate Light, Nauset Light in Eastham and Sankaty Light on Nantucket), as well as whimsical whale tails, lobsters, surfboards, pineapples and more.
The colorful lights on each NexTide indicate which direction the tide is going (in or out), how high the tide water will come in next, how low the tide water will go out next, and the time of the next tide. Each lighthouse has a functional beacon, which moves to the right to indicate when the tide is coming in and moves left, when the tide is going out.
NexTide founders hope their products change the way people think about tides and generate conversations among anyone who enjoys spending time by the ocean.
NextTide
To find out more, visit nextide.us