Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh 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 09:30 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 Asia/Kolkata local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Last spring tide on Sat 16 May (range 1.4m). Next neap on Fri 22 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Machilipatnam — known through much of its history as Masulipatnam — is one of the oldest port cities on India's east coast, and the tidal character of the Krishna delta coast has shaped its fortunes across four centuries. The city sits on the western edge of the Krishna delta, where the river's many distributaries fan out across a flat, low-lying coastal plain before reaching the Bay of Bengal. That low elevation is both the delta's agricultural asset and its persistent vulnerability. The Bay of Bengal delivers a semidiurnal tidal regime at Machilipatnam — two high and two low waters per day. Mean tidal range here runs 1.5 to 2.5 m, somewhat larger than the range seen at Kakinada to the north, owing to slight differences in coastal geometry and the more open orientation of this section of the Andhra coast. Spring tides in the post-monsoon months reach the higher end of that range. At low water, the delta shoreline exposes broad mudflats extending 150–200 m from the high-water mark. The Bandar harbour at the Krishna river mouth, roughly 3 km north of the main town, handles the mechanised fishing fleet and a small volume of coastal cargo. Vessel access at Bandar depends heavily on the tide: larger country boats and smaller trawlers can enter or leave the river mouth for approximately 2 to 3 hours on either side of high water. Outside that window, the bar at the river mouth drops to depths that ground all but the smallest craft. Fishing beach boats — the plank-built catamarans that operate along this coast — are launched directly from the beach alongside the harbour and are not constrained by the bar; they work the near-shore zone across most of the tidal cycle. The historic core of Machilipatnam sits less than 2 km from the coastline at an elevation of 3–5 m above mean sea level — low enough that tidal surge is not a daily concern but catastrophically inadequate during cyclonic events. The 1864 cyclone that struck this coast on 1 November remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in Indian recorded history; the storm surge that accompanied the system reportedly inundated the entire delta plain and killed approximately 30,000 people in and around Machilipatnam. The 1977 Diviseema cyclone — which made landfall to the north at Diviseema on 19 November 1977 — again pushed surge waters across the low Krishna delta, killing around 10,000 people in the surrounding districts. Both events reflect the same physical mechanism: the funnel geometry of the northern Bay of Bengal amplifies surge when a cyclone tracks across the shallow continental shelf and pushes water onshore across a coastline with almost no natural elevation. Understanding this vulnerability is relevant for any visitor planning time on the Machilipatnam beach during the cyclone season (May–June pre-monsoon and October–November post-monsoon). The beach itself — a long, flat strand of dark sand running both north and south of the harbour area — is wide at low water and enjoyable for walking, crab collection, and shore fishing during calm weather. The tidal flat widens by 100–150 m between high and low water on a spring tide. For anglers, the Krishna river mouth and tidal creek systems around Bandar harbour are productive for barramundi, mullet, and mud crab. The flood tide is the most effective period for fishing the estuary channels — fish move up on the incoming water and concentrate near creek mouths and channel bends. Mud crab traps set along the mangrove edge of the tidal creeks are pulled at low water. Shore-based casting from the beach is effective during the last two hours of the ebb when small pelagics follow the receding water off the flats. Machilipatnam's cultural context adds a layer that distinguishes it from most other fishing ports on this coast. The city is the origin point of Kalamkari, a textile tradition in which fabric is hand-painted or block-printed using natural dyes to depict scenes from Hindu epics — Ramayana and Mahabharata figures rendered in black, red, and ochre on cream cotton. The Srikalahasti style uses only a hand-drawn pen (kalam); the Machilipatnam style uses carved wooden blocks. The craft concentration in the city's workshops is visible along the main bazaar streets. For visitors combining a coastal visit with interest in textile heritage, the combination of active fish harbour, tidal estuary walks, and Kalamkari workshops is genuinely unusual on the Indian coast. Kayakers exploring the Krishna delta creek system around Bandar should plan entry and exit around the tidal window — on the flood, channels are navigable and interesting; on the full ebb, passage through the minor creeks requires dragging over mud bars. A 4-hour paddle starting 1 hour before high water gives the best access to the inner delta channels and a safe return on the last of the flood. Beach families visiting Machilipatnam will find most activity concentrated at the beach access road south of the harbour. The beach is less commercialised than Digha or Puri; facilities are minimal. The wide tidal flat at low water is safe for children on calm days — the gradient is gentle and the water shallow for the first 30 m. Tide data for Machilipatnam comes from the Open-Meteo Marine API, a gridded model product. Timing accuracy is ±45 minutes, height accuracy ±0.3 m — usable for trip planning, not for navigation.