Mirbat 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 08:00 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 Asia/Muscat local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Next spring tide on Tue 19 May (range 1.8m). Next neap on Mon 18 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.

Mirbat is a small historic port 70 km east of Salalah, at the eastern end of the Dhofar coast before the coastline turns toward the arid borderlands with Yemen. The town is built around a small headland that carries a fortified watchtower (the Mirbat Fort, well-preserved and publicly accessible) and a traditional mosque. A sheltered bay forms on the western side of the headland; the fishing harbour operates here in the lee of the rock. The open beach on the eastern side of the headland faces SE into the Arabian Sea and receives swell from the SE year-round. The tidal regime at Mirbat is mixed semidiurnal, spring range approximately 1.5–2.0 m above Chart Datum — consistent with the rest of the Dhofar coast. INOCAR-equivalent data for this location comes from the National Hydrographic Office of Oman, with Salalah Port as the regional reference station. There is no permanent gauge at Mirbat itself. The western, sheltered bay at Mirbat is the operational harbour for the local fishing fleet. Small motorised dhows (shashas — traditional Dhofari fishing boats built from compressed palm fronds, though most modern boats are fibreglass) operate from the harbour. At low water the inner harbour shoals significantly; the 0.5–0.8 m depth over the harbour bar at spring low tide limits access to shallow-draft vessels only. Larger supply boats time their arrival within two hours of the predicted high to clear the bar. The eastern beach, exposed to SE swell, is a consistent year-round fishing and swimming location outside the khareef months (June–September). During the khareef, east-facing beaches at Mirbat are less severely affected than the SW-facing Salalah beaches — the SE swell direction hits the eastern headland at an oblique angle that provides some mitigation — but conditions are still rough and swimming is not recommended. The dry-season beach (October–May) is wide and flat at low water; shore fishing for kingfish, trevally, and reef species from the beach and the headland rocks is productive on the incoming tide. Mirbat has historical significance as the site of the Battle of Mirbat (1972), during the Dhofar Rebellion, in which a small SAS unit held the town against a large rebel force from the Yemeni-supported PFLOAG. The watchtower and fort compound are on the headland; entry is free. The combination of the historic fortifications and the working fishing harbour makes Mirbat one of the most authentically Dhofari coastal settlements on this coast, relatively unaffected by the resort development that has reached Salalah and Mughsayl. Tide predictions here come from Open-Meteo Marine: accuracy ±45 min / ±0.2–0.3 m. National Hydrographic Office of Oman publishes official tide tables with Salalah as the regional reference. The Mirbat watchtower (Mirbat Fort) sits at the headland tip overlooking the harbour; the fortified compound is one of several surviving examples of the Dhofari defensive architecture that protected coastal settlements from raids during the 17th–19th centuries. The fort is maintained but not heavily visited; access is free and the interior is open to respectful visitors. The view from the fort's upper level encompasses the harbour, the eastern beach, and the Arabian Sea arc to the horizon. In the mornings (before 09:00), the fishing boats return to the harbour from the night's fishing, and the small dock area is active with unloading. Mirbat's traditional fishing economy is based on hand-line and net fishing from small motorised boats (the local shasha, or fibreglass equivalent) targeting the Arabian Sea reef species. The seasonal albacore and skipjack tuna migration passes offshore from Mirbat in November–January; the local fleet extends its range during these months. The tuna are caught by trolling at speed on the migration routes; the catch is sold at the Salalah fish market, a 70 km road transport away. The beach at Mirbat provides enough flat sand at low water for net-mending and boat maintenance work; the low-tide exposure is also when the fishing boats receive their maintenance season overhaul.