Triggers for Translators

I need to create a scenario with the sea shown at both low and high tide. I would like to show the water rising using an animator, which I have managed to do. I even had 2 objects working on the one animator, so a boat moved at the same time as the water level changed in height. I want this movement to happen using a Trigger, but the problem seems to be that the trigger zone is spherical, but a sea front is long and linear. I need this water to rise and lower when I’m at different view points in my scene, but I can only have one trigger which could be 100m away from where I’m standing on the beach. You cant have multiple triggers for the same object, you cant have an object act as a trigger (I was thinking something long and linear with transparency, so you don’t see it but could walk into it). Any ideas how I can achieve this?