Kuwait Coast

Kuwait occupies the northwest corner of the Arabian Gulf, where the shallow basin and semi-enclosed geometry amplify tidal range well above the open-ocean signal. Kuwait City's spring tidal range is 2.0–2.2 m, mixed semidiurnal with significant diurnal inequality — the two daily highs and two lows are commonly unequal by 0.3–0.6 m. Kuwait Bay is semi-enclosed, which means southerly winds push water against the northern shore and can add 0.3–0.5 m of surge on top of the predicted tide. The bay is very shallow — large intertidal flats are exposed at low water, particularly on the northern and eastern shores. Salmiya is the urban beach district southeast of Kuwait City. Al Ahmadi is the major oil-port complex on the southern shore of the Bay.