Someone asked me about this, thought I would post my answer here as well......

Why do they call it Ebb or Flood tide?
Ebb tide is the outgoing tide, (the tide "ebbs" out of the inlets and bays)
Flood tide, is the incoming tide (the tide "floods" the inlets and bays)

Many use incoming and outgoing to describe tide stage. I'm old school. I use the ebb and flood terms most of the time because I feel they are more descriptive.