North Aegean

The North Aegean islands sit in the eastern Aegean Sea, strung close to the Turkish coast — Lesbos just 8 km from the mainland at the Lesbos Strait, Chios 8 km at the Chios Strait, Samos a mere 1.6 km across the Samos Strait, the narrowest international strait in the Aegean. That proximity shapes the water: narrow passages accelerate currents, and local tidal timing can differ slightly from open-sea predictions. The Aegean is a microtidal sea. Mean tidal ranges here run 0.2–0.3 m, small enough that wind-driven surge and atmospheric pressure often swamp the astronomical tide in real conditions. Sailors, swimmers, and harbour users should understand that 'tide' here is not the dominant variable it is on Atlantic coasts — it's one input among several. Official tide predictions for Greek waters are published by the Hellenic Navy Hydrographic Service (HNHS). Tide data on this site uses Open-Meteo Marine models, which carry inherent uncertainty of ±45 min on timing and ±0.2–0.3 m on height in Mediterranean waters; always cross-check with HNHS tables for navigation. For divers, the weak tidal flow means visibility is less tied to the tide cycle than in macrotidal waters — but the narrow straits can generate meaningful currents during tidal transitions, worth noting for strait crossings. Ferries run busy schedules through all three straits to Turkish ports; give commercial shipping room and understand that ferry wash in confined channels will outweigh tidal effects on small vessels.