Sur tide times

Sur is a city of 75,000 on Oman's eastern coast at the point where the Gulf of Oman transitions to the open Arabian Sea, and it is the last place on earth where traditional wooden dhows are built by hand using the techniques that drove Indian Ocean trade for two millennia. The Sur Dhow Yard on the Khor Balad lagoon at the eastern edge of the city is not a heritage reconstruction or a tourist demonstration but a functioning working yard: craftsmen cut, steam-bend, and fasten the planking of shu'i (small coastal vessels), badan, and occasionally the larger ghanjah using adzes, hand saws, and the accumulated knowledge of a tradition that is now genuinely endangered. The yard is open to visitors during working hours; the craftsmen are accustomed to onlookers and will usually allow photography. The smell of freshly cut Indian teak and the sound of adze on timber are immediately distinctive.

The Khor Balad itself is a tidal lagoon behind Sur's old town waterfront — a sheltered arm of the sea connected to the Arabian Sea through the Khor al-Jarama channel at its northern end. The lagoon holds traditional dhow moorings, small fishing boats, and the Sur lighthouse on its western bank. The tidal exchange through the channel produces currents strong enough to be relevant for small craft navigating the lagoon entrance; the ebb and flood are visible in the channel as the lagoon empties and fills on a 1.5 to 2.0 m spring cycle.

Ras al-Jinz (Ra's al-Jinz) Turtle Reserve is 60 km south of Sur along the coastal road, on the easternmost headland of the Arabian Peninsula. The headland is one of the principal nesting grounds of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Indian Ocean — tens of thousands of females nest here annually, primarily between May and October, and the reserve operates mandatory night tours to the nesting beaches (booking several days in advance is essential during peak season). The combination of the dhow yard, the coastal drive south, and the turtle reserve makes the Sur area one of the most rewarding coastal itineraries in Oman.

The tidal regime at Sur is mixed semidiurnal: mean spring range 1.5 to 2.0 m. The Gulf of Oman here is transitioning to open Arabian Sea and the tidal signal is strong and predictable. The tidal current in the Khor Balad channel at springs runs 1 to 1.5 knots and is a practical consideration for traditional dhow departures from the yard.

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 m on height — at Sur's 1.5 to 2.0 m spring range, the height uncertainty is 10 to 20 percent of the total signal. The Directorate General of Meteorology (DGMET) in Oman publishes tide tables for Sur.