Narvik 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 01:00 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/Oslo local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Narvik occupies a steep hillside above the Ofotfjord in northern Nordland, roughly 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. The town exists because of iron ore: the Ofoten Railway, completed in 1902, runs 42 km east from the port to the Swedish iron ore mines at Kiruna across the border, and the year-round ice-free harbour made Narvik the only viable export terminal for ore that would otherwise be locked by Baltic ice for months. The iron ore loading facilities — the long automated ore pier stretching north from the main harbour — are still the defining industrial feature of the waterfront. The tidal regime at Narvik is semidiurnal with a spring range of approximately 2.2–2.5 m above Chart Datum. The Ofotfjord is a deep, relatively narrow fjord running roughly east-west; the tidal wave enters from the Norwegian Sea to the west and travels up the fjord with modest attenuation. Mean high water springs at Narvik is approximately 1.8 m above Chart Datum; mean low water springs is approximately 0.4 m. The tidal current through the main body of the Ofotfjord is gentle — typically 0.3–0.8 knots at mid-channel — but accelerates in the several narrows and side fjords branching off the main waterway. The naval battles of Narvik in April–May 1940 are the most historically significant events that took place on this water. Two engagements were fought in the Ofotfjord and in the narrow Herjangsfjord to the north; the wrecks of destroyer-class vessels from both the German and British/Norwegian navies lie in the fjord at depths of 15–100 m. The Narvik War Museum covers the 1940 battles in detail and coordinates with local dive operators who run wreck dives on the accessible sites. Tidal current on the dive sites in the Herjangsfjord narrows can reach 1.0–1.5 knots on springs; the dive window is on the slack. For recreational boaters using Narvik as a base for fjord exploration, the Ofotfjord and its side arms — the Beisfjord to the south, the Rombaken to the east, the Herjangsfjord to the north — offer 150+ km of protected deep water. The mountain scenery is exceptional: the fjord walls rise from sea level to over 1,600 m within a few kilometres. Sea depths in the main fjord run 100–200 m; anchoring is possible only in the side bays and inlets where the bottom shallows. The tidal range of 2.2–2.5 m makes anchor scope calculations important — set for the spring range, not mid-tide depth. Fishing in the Ofotfjord targets cod, coalfish, and the occasional halibut. The deep fjord channel holds cod year-round; they move shallower to feed on the incoming flood tide. The flat transition areas at fjord bends — where the current slackens and baitfish collect — are the productive shore-fishing spots. Local knowledge on the exact timing of these current transitions is more reliable than a generic tide table, as fjord geometry introduces local lags of 30–90 minutes. The Narvik ski area on Narvikfjellet behind the town is one of Norway's best, with gondola access from near sea level to 1,011 m. Spring skiing (March–May) coincides with the period when the fjord below is at its clearest: blue water, snow on the mountains, long daylight hours. From the upper lifts, the tide in the Ofotfjord is visible far below — the difference between spring high and spring low water is marked by the exposed ore-pier foundations and the waterline on the quay walls. All tide predictions for Narvik come from the Open-Meteo Marine gridded model. Timing accuracy is ±45 minutes; height accuracy is ±0.3 m above Chart Datum.