Kawthaung tide times

Kawthaung is the southernmost town in Myanmar, at the tip of the Tanintharyi Region's long coastal tail. Across the Paknam channel — barely 500 metres of water — lies Ranong in southern Thailand. The border crossing between Kawthaung and Ranong is an active sea border: passenger ferries run several times daily, carrying Thai day-trippers into Myanmar for visa renewal, and bringing goods and passengers in both directions. The crossing takes 10 minutes.

The tidal regime at Kawthaung is mixed semidiurnal with a large spring range of 4 to 5 metres — slightly greater than at Myeik further north. The Paknam River estuary at Kawthaung amplifies the tidal signal: the channel geometry constricts the tidal flood into a powerful stream, and in certain conditions a tidal bore propagates up the estuary on the spring flood. The bore is modest compared to the famous examples in the Bay of Fundy or the Severn, but it is perceptible — a wave front 0.2 to 0.3 metres high moving upstream at 8 to 12 knots, noticeable to boatmen in the estuary and observable from the riverside in town. The conditions for bore formation require a large spring tide combined with a river flow that is neither too high (which suppresses the bore) nor too low (which reduces the tidal amplification).

Kawthaung is the southern base for liveaboard operations into the Mergui Archipelago. The archipelago's liveaboard season runs November to April; boats depart from Kawthaung harbour northward into the archipelago, covering sites that take 2 to 7 days of transit to reach from Myeik but are accessible from Kawthaung in 4 to 24 hours depending on destination. The permit and visa requirements for liveaboard passengers are handled by operators; foreign nationals need specific Mergui Archipelago liveaboard permits in addition to a Myanmar visa.

The Paknam channel between Kawthaung and Ranong is one of the most active small-boat passages in the Andaman Sea coast. Thai longtail boats (hang yao) make the crossing constantly during daylight hours. The tidal current through the narrow channel runs at 2 to 3 knots at spring peaks — the Thai longtail drivers time their crossings to avoid fighting the stream. Passenger crossing times vary by tidal state from 8 minutes (with current) to 20 minutes (against current).

Fishing from the Kawthaung waterfront and harbour approaches targets the fish that use the Paknam estuary for feeding and shelter: mangrove jack (Lutjanus argentimaculatus), threadfin bream, and black-spotted snapper are caught on the flood tide in the channel. Bottom rigs with fresh squid bait work in 5 to 15 metres off the harbour wall.

The Kawthaung market near the ferry terminal has fresh seafood from the Andaman fishing fleet — reef fish, prawns, squid, and crab — and Thai and Myanmar produce from both sides of the border. The market is most active in the early morning when the overnight fishing boats return on the incoming tide.

Predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height — model-derived, not from a local gauge. The local tide authority is the Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).