Portorož 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 06:00 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/Ljubljana local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Next spring tide on Sun 17 May (range 1.1m). 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.

Portorož is Slovenia's only sand-beach resort and its most developed coastal destination. The name means 'Port of Roses' in Slovenian, and the town has a Riviera character that distinguishes it sharply from the stone-town austerity of Piran 3 km to the west. The main beach is a 400-metre arc of imported fine sand facing south into the Gulf of Piran — the only broad sandy beach on the Slovenian coast, which is otherwise dominated by rocky limestone platforms. Hotels, a casino, a thalassotherapy centre, and a marina make Portorož the commercial heart of the Slovenian Riviera. The tidal regime is semidiurnal Adriatic: spring range 0.7–0.9 m above Chart Datum, neap range 0.2–0.4 m. The main beach sits at a low elevation relative to the Gulf, and the tidal change directly affects beach width and the nearshore swimming depth. At high spring tide, the beach narrows to 25–30 m between the beach bars and the waterline. At low spring tide the sand extends 45–55 m to the water — a significant difference that affects where sun loungers can be placed and how far families have to walk to reach swimming depth. The nearshore water depth at Portorož is particularly shallow. The bay shelves gently: 40 m from the waterline the depth at mid-tide is only 0.8–1.2 m. At low spring water that drops to 0.3–0.7 m — ankle to knee depth for 40 m. This is ideal for young children who want to wade, but swimmers wanting 1.5 m depth need to walk 60–80 m from the waterline at low water. The shallow gradient also means that wave energy is dissipated well before the shore; the main beach is consistently calm in all but a strong southwesterly swell. For families with young children, Portorož is the practical choice on the Slovenian coast. The beach is sandy (not the rocky platforms of Piran and Koper), the slope is gentle, and the maximum water temperature of 26–27 °C in August makes extended swimming comfortable. The incoming flood tide is the best window for young swimmers: the water advances steadily, depth builds toward the shore, and the clearest water of the day arrives with the flood as it pushes cleaner offshore water into the bay. The marina at Portorož — Marina Portorož — is one of the largest on the eastern Adriatic, with 1,000 berths and capacity for vessels up to 80 m. The approach channel maintains 3.0 m at mean low water. Vessels drawing over 2.5 m should arrive no earlier than 2 hours before high water on spring tides to ensure safe margin in the approach. The marina basin itself is dredged to 3.5 m. The Bora wind creates wave action in the approach from the northeast; the marina entrance faces southeast and is partially sheltered, but berth assignments for the outer pontoons may be changed by the marina office during sustained Bora events. For stand-up paddleboarding and flat-water kayaking, the protected bay at Portorož is one of the best venues on the Slovenian coast. The bay's natural shelter from the northeast Bora (blocked by the Piran peninsula) and from westerly swells makes it a reliable flat-water training ground. Rentals are available from the beach concessions from May to September. The 3-km paddle from the main beach around the Piran peninsula to the old harbour of Piran is a popular half-day route; timing the return leg on the flood (northeast current) makes the final kilometre into the harbour easier. Anglers at Portorož use the marina breakwater and the southern pier for shore fishing. Sea bream are the target species; the ebb current off the marina entrance runs southwest and concentrates fish at the breakwater head in the 60–90 minutes around low water. The salt pans of Sečovlje Salina, 4 km south — a protected nature reserve — are closed to fishing, but the approach channel to the salina through the Dragonja estuary holds grey mullet in summer. All tide predictions for Portorož come from the Open-Meteo Marine gridded model. Timing accuracy is ±45 minutes; height accuracy is ±0.3 m above Chart Datum.