Xiamen tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 23:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are UTC local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Next spring tide on Mon 18 May (range 5.3m). Last neap on Wed 13 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Xiamen sits on an island in southern Fujian, connected to the mainland by bridges and separated from Gulangyu Island by a tidal strait 600 m wide. Spring tidal range in Xiamen Bay is approximately 4.5 m above MLLW, and the bay's semi-enclosed geometry produces two unequal tidal cycles each day. The strait between Xiamen Island and Gulangyu runs faster on the ebb than the flood — ferry operators and kayakers both account for that asymmetry. Gulangyu Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017 for its International Settlement architecture: a dense mix of Victorian colonial buildings, Fujian vernacular structures, and early 20th-century villas built by merchants, missionaries, and consulates from a dozen countries. The island is car-free, accessed only by ferry, and the ferry crossing itself is worth timing around the tidal current. At peak ebb, the strait runs at 2–3 knots, and the ferries angle noticeably to hold their line. The small beach on Gulangyu's south side shrinks substantially on a rising spring tide — visit at low water for the full beach and exposed rock platforms. The tidal flats between Xiamen Island's western shore and Zhangzhou on the mainland are some of the most extensive in Fujian. At low water, the flat spans several kilometres, and it is layered with oyster culture: rows of staked wooden frames carrying oyster clusters that hang below the waterline at high tide and are harvested by hand at low water. The oysters grown here are Crassostrea gigas, the Pacific oyster, and they go into local restaurants on the same day they are pulled. Walking the flats is possible during the lowest spring tides but requires rubber boots — the substrate alternates between firm sand and soft grey mud. Hulishan Cannon Fort on Xiamen Island's southern headland dates from the Qing Dynasty and was built to command the sea approach. Two German-manufactured Krupp cannons from 1894 remain on the gun platforms, facing the tidal strait. The fort is above the tidal zone, but the coastline immediately below it is a mix of rocky reef and sandy beach exposed at low water, accessible by staircase for intertidal exploration. The coastal ring road around Xiamen Island is a cycling and running route with consistent tidal views. The western stretch, facing the Zhangzhou tidal flats, passes several informal fishing platforms where locals use lift nets on the incoming tide. The nets are lowered on the ebb, baited, and raised when the incoming current concentrates fish over the platform. Timing the coastal ride to coincide with high water on the western side gives views of the oyster frames just submerged, with the current flowing visibly between them. Kayaking in Xiamen Bay is well-established, and the bay's relative shelter from oceanic swell makes it accessible to intermediate paddlers. The main navigation consideration is the tidal current, which becomes significant in the strait channels on spring tides. Launching from the eastern beaches on a flood tide and returning on the ebb is a standard routing approach. The Xiamen–Kinmen (Quemoy) sea boundary sits a few kilometres to the east — kayakers must stay clear of restricted waters. Intertidal birdwatching on the Xiamen tidal flats has a dedicated following. The bay is on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, and the western mud flats attract significant numbers of spoon-billed sandpiper, black-faced spoonbill, and other threatened species during spring and autumn migration. The black-faced spoonbill roosts on the oyster frames at high tide. For photographers and naturalists, the combination of a working tidal culture — oyster farms, ferry crossings, fishing lift-nets — and significant migratory birdlife makes Xiamen Bay one of the most productive intertidal destinations on the Fujian coast. Tidal predictions here use the Open-Meteo Marine gridded model (±45 minutes on timing, ±0.3 m on height). Not for navigation.