Outgoing tides carry you out, under the bridge. These go in the same direction as the wind (if riding on the east side, not back side) and will kill your apparent wind.

Incoming tides help carry you in to the bay. These oppose the wind and help to generate power (counter current, or opposing the wind).

It's a good idea to check the tide tables each day before you ride. I always check the tides because I use the currents to my advantage if possible. If you check the tide one day, the next day is the same thing (basically) except delayed 50 minutes.

I only ride in the channel that feeds to the smaller bridge if the tide is coming in. When it is coming in, I will try to use that current to help suck me way up wind. Otherwise, you actually lose apparent wind and the obvious, you may get sucked under the bridge when you get near it. I recommend not riding near the bridge. The current is just as strong in the channel (if incoming and you are using it to your advantage) 200 yards away as right under it. If the tide is going out, it's a really bad idea to get close to the bridge.

The tides here are just moderate in comparison to many spots in FL, but still have effect on us. About as fast as they get around the that bridge is 1.2 knots. I use to fish that bridge a ton and know that from being anchored up there. Tides are strongest on Full and New moons and pretty dead on quarter moons in this area.
The tidal current going under the big SW can hit 3 knots on rare occasion (usually strong "hill tide" of the summer). Unless you get right under it though, the current effect due to tides is not going to be that strong on the south side of our riding area. Still though, a half knot on a light wind day makes a difference. As a general rule, never expect the current south of the launch to ever be in your favor. It rarely is. In addition, the "waves" in that area are pulling you toward land. If you've ever dumped a kite out there, that's one reason relaunch in that area can be a pain and you might end up in the rocks.

The winds at the SW very commonly pick up as the land cools on east winds.
If it actually blew East all day (if it never dropped below 12 all day) odds are that at least 80 percent of the time it's going to nuke as it cools off. It very commonly goes straight from 12 to 20 or 25. If you haven't seen this as a rider out there yet, I would be surprised because it happens a lot. Heck, that's why we show up there, isn't it?
If as a rider you are going to launch your biggest kite at 5 30 or 6 pm, be ready to get blown off. It doesn't always happen, but it happens so frequently that I almost always rig anticipating this.

DOPPLER should be checked as well before you leave work to ride the SW.
If you see masses of red stuff coming at you full throttle from the middle of the state...yeah, it's gonna probably get dicey as the storms pass through. That's what happened last night. I guess it wasn't obvious out there (?), but I could sure see the clouds from my house a mile from the spot. It was even more obvious on doppler and had been for 2 hours. (It's actually how I knew it was gonna nuke, and I also knew we would be dodging storms)

These storm cells with these associated strong outflow boundaries happen mainly in the summer.

Hope that helps a little.

To me, the biggest danger at the SW is the "switch". The switch gets hit fast out there and can blow people away. Some things to be observant for-
Is it white capping like mad 300 to 600 yards out?

Call P.O.R.T.S . If it says 25 to 30 at the SW (the wind usually hits that sensor about 20 minutes before our riding spot) it IS coming your way!

Is there a band of clouds coming with clear sky behind them? These don't have to be menacing clouds at all, just clouds.
Is the air cooling?

I wasn't there last night (kiter blown off, kite in Interstate) but I have never seen it nuke without some visual clues first, ever.

So, if in doubt, look out a ways for whitecaps and call Ports...
1866 827 6787 and check to see if the SW sensor just went apeshit before launching.

These are a couple ways to minimize getting whacked by the switch (if on your biggest kite).