Ebb and Flow

The North Sea and the Elbe River are tidal waters. The water level rises for six hours from its lowest level, low tide, to its highest level, high tide.

In the following six hours, the water level drops again during ebb tide to the lowest level. The ebb and flow of tides lead to a tidal current with a velocity of about 2.5 knots in Hamburg.

The average difference between high and low tide, the mean tidal range, measures about 3.63 metres in the Port of Hamburg.