Rhodes 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 07:00 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 Europe/Athens local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Rhodes sits at the southern tip of the Dodecanese chain, 18 kilometres from the Turkish coast at the closest point — a small crossing that represents a significant political and regulatory boundary. The island is roughly 77 kilometres from north to south, mountainous through its spine, with the main town at the northern tip and the rest of the population scattered through inland villages and the handful of larger resort settlements on the western coast. The eastern coast is more exposed to the open sea; the western coast sits in the lee of the island's profile from the dominant northwesterly Meltemi. The tidal environment at Rhodes is Eastern Mediterranean microtidal: mean spring range of 0.2 to 0.4 metres, with neap tides reducing to 0.1 to 0.15 metres. The Aegean Sea's tidal character is the product of its semi-enclosed geometry — the tidal signal enters from the Eastern Mediterranean through the straits between the Dodecanese and the Turkish coast, but the basin's resonance characteristics limit amplification. In practical terms, the water level at any Rhodes beach on any given day is determined far more by wind setup and weather patterns than by the position of the moon. The Meltemi is the dominant operational factor from June through September. This persistent northerly wind — driven by the pressure gradient between the thermal low over the Anatolian plateau and the Atlantic High — arrives in the Dodecanese from the northwest and can blow at 20 to 35 knots for days at a time during peak summer. On the exposed northern beaches of Rhodes (Elli Beach, the beaches along the northern peninsula where the old town stands), a strong Meltemi means choppy water and blown sand. On the eastern coast (Faliraki, Lindos Bay, Prasonisi at the southern tip), conditions vary by the orientation of each beach relative to the wind direction. Prasonisi at the extreme south of the island, where a sandy tombolo connects a small islet to the main island, is one of the few locations in the Aegean where two sea sides are accessible simultaneously — creating an almost perfect natural wind laboratory, with the western side typically choppy and the eastern side flatter. The medieval walled city of Rhodes is the island's defining physical feature. The Knights of St John fortified the existing Byzantine settlement after their arrival in 1309, building the circuit walls, the Palace of the Grand Master, and the Street of the Knights over the following century. The Ottoman period (1522–1912) added mosques, a covered bazaar, and the characteristic mix of architectural layers that defines the old town today. The UNESCO designation covers the entire medieval city — about 250 hectares within the walls. Mandraki harbour on the northern tip of the city, just outside the old town walls, is where the Colossus of Rhodes is traditionally said to have stood. The bronze statue of Helios — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built around 280 BCE to celebrate the island's successful defence against Demetrius Poliorcetes — collapsed in an earthquake in 226 BCE. Estimates of its height range from 30 to 33 metres. Medieval sources describe it straddling the harbour entrance, though this is likely a medieval invention — the statue probably stood on or near the harbour mole. Today two stone columns topped with bronze deer mark the harbour entrance where the Colossus is traditionally located. The harbour itself handles ferry traffic to Athens (Piraeus), Crete, the other Dodecanese islands, and across the narrow channel to Marmaris in Turkey. Diving around Rhodes is well-developed, with multiple dive centres operating on both the western and eastern coasts. The clear Aegean water — typical visibility 20 to 30 metres on settled days — and the absence of significant tidal current make Rhodes a straightforward dive destination from a conditions standpoint. Dive planning focuses on Meltemi windows and swell exposure rather than tidal timing. The underwater topography includes wall dives along the basalt and limestone coastline, as well as several wreck sites from 20th-century shipping activity. For yacht skippers navigating the Dodecanese, tidal awareness remains relevant even at 0.2 to 0.4 metre range. The many small anchorages and shallow harbours in the chain — at Symi, Halki, Tilos, and the smaller uninhabited islets — have keel-depth margins narrow enough that the modest tidal range matters at low water. The Meltemi's effect on sea level — 0.2 to 0.3 metres of setup on leeward shores — adds to the tidal low in some configurations and partially offsets it in others, meaning the effective low-water clearance can be meaningfully different from the predicted tidal datum. Tide predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine — model-derived, typically accurate to plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height, not a local gauge. For the 0.2 to 0.4 metre range at Rhodes, the height uncertainty is comparable to the tidal range itself, so use these predictions as general orientation rather than precision navigation data.