Lysekil, Västra Götaland 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/Stockholm local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Next spring tide on Sun 17 May (range 0.4m). Next neap on Tue 19 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.

Lysekil occupies a headland at the entrance to Gullmarsfjorden, Sweden's only true sill fjord. To the west, the city faces open Kattegat across a scatter of skerries. To the east, the mouth of Gullmarsfjorden opens into a 27 km channel that reaches all the way to Munkedal at the head of the fjord. The two exposures produce very different water conditions and different opportunities for anyone spending time on the water here. The tidal regime on the Kattegat side is the same as the rest of the Bohuslän coast: mean astronomical range 0.2 to 0.4 metres, with wind setup the dominant influence on actual water level. The SMHI tide gauge at Lysekil records the combined signal, and the station data shows standard deviations of 0.2 to 0.3 metres driven primarily by meteorological forcing rather than astronomy. A long southwesterly fetch across the Kattegat can push water level 0.5 metres above prediction; persistent northerlies expose the nearshore rocks. Gullmarsfjorden is in a different category. It is classified as a sill fjord — a 50-metre-deep threshold at the fjord mouth restricts the exchange of deep water between the fjord basin and the open sea. Below the sill depth, the fjord water can become stagnant between renewal events; the bottom fauna reflects this, and the fjord has been studied intensively for over a century. On the surface, the sill creates a tidal dynamic: on the flood tide, lighter surface water from the Kattegat spills over the sill and into the fjord; on the ebb, the direction reverses. Surface tidal currents at the 3-km-wide fjord mouth run 0.5 to 1.0 knots — enough to be felt in a kayak or small sailing boat. The Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences at Kristineberg, on the south shore of Gullmarsfjorden about 10 km from the fjord mouth, is one of the oldest marine research stations in Scandinavia. Founded in 1877, the station has hosted research on fjord hydrography, marine invertebrates, and the effects of hypoxia (low oxygen) in the fjord's deeper basin. The station is not a public visitor attraction, but the surrounding area is accessible — a walking track follows the fjord shore from Kristineberg toward the mouth, passing through exposed granite and low birch scrub with the fjord below. Stångehuvud headland, 2 km north of Lysekil harbour, rises 60 metres above the sea and is a well-known viewpoint across the outer Kattegat. The headland is a nature reserve; the walking track from Lysekil takes about 40 minutes each way. The granite surface holds rock pools along the base at low water — the pools are accessible only at the lowest tides and are worth the timing effort for the diversity of invertebrates (sea anemones, brittle stars, and small crabs are typical). Shore fishing from Lysekil's granite shoreline is a year-round activity. Mackerel run through the outer skerries in July and August; wrasse and perch hold in the kelp beds around the fjord mouth through the season. Herring appear at the Kattegat shore during the spring spawning run — typically March to April — and can be taken in large numbers on small spinners or small flies from the rocks. Incoming tide on the Kattegat side brings bait fish against the shoreline; the junction of the fjord and the open coast at the headland is a productive mark. Kayaking options split between the sheltered fjord interior and the more exposed outer coast. Gullmarsfjorden is excellent for beginners in settled weather — the fjord walls keep swell out and the only hazard is boat traffic from the Lysekil ferry. The outer skerries west of the headland require sea kayak skills and good weather judgement; the Kattegat can build short, steep seas quickly in westerlies. Water temperature in the fjord reaches 18 to 20°C in the surface layer in July; the open Kattegat side runs slightly cooler. Lysekil harbour has a modest marina and a fish quay where local boats still land catch. The granite-and-timber townscape is characteristic Bohuslän — coloured wooden houses on rock outcrops above the water. Population around 14,000; the town is quieter than Marstrand and oriented more toward year-round residents than summer tourists. Tide data for Lysekil, Västra Götaland 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.