A zoom view of a solution of the M2 tide, computed over the whole Indian Ocean, and focusing on the Kerguelen Plateau, is presented to illustrate the extent of detail and accuracy which can be expected from solutions produced by a global ocean tide model based on the Finite Element methods developed by the authors. The characteristics of the M2 tide as revealed by this solution are in good agreement with the observations available around Kerguelen island, and explain the phase differences of more than 40 degrees observed between the two sides of the western part of this island which, until now, has been unexplained. For the M2 tide, this results from the presence of a one-node axisymmetric standing wave, with a real amphidromic point on the north western side of the plateau, which is due to the combination of two waves, one coming directly from the ocean to the West, and the other propagating counterclockwise on the shelf around the island. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1993