What is the Ocean Viewing Index (OVI) for Balos Beach?

OVI is a 0-100 composite score combining sea color, water clarity, visibility, sea conditions, sunlight and water quality to help you decide if the sea is worth seeing today.

Balos Beach

Chania, GreeceEurope/Athens

Ocean View Index

90Excellent

Next tide

—

Sunrise / Sunset

04:16 – 16:56

Local time

20:05

Balos Beach in Crete, a tropical lagoon of pink-tinged sand and turquoise shallows, among Greece's most dreamlike lagoons.

Ocean Viewing Index

Updated · Sep 8, 2026 17:05

Reference time: local noon · 13:36 (Europe/Athens)

Estimated

Excellent

Excellent viewing conditions. Highly recommended!

Sub-Index Breakdown

Six dimensions feed the overall Ocean Viewing Index.

Sea Color
Vivid turquoise / azure · hue
96.2
Clarity
Very clear (below 1.5 NTU) · NTU
100
Visibility
15+ m horizontal · m
100
Sea State
Choppy (4+) · Beaufort
56.8
Lighting
Golden hour, optimal · lux
99.9
Water Quality
index
—

Weather Forecast

7-day marine weather forecast from Open-Meteo model.

TodaySep 8

Clear

26°25°

5.4 m/s

WedSep 9

Clear

25°24°

3.4 m/s

ThuSep 10

Clear

26°24°

2.3 m/s

FriSep 11

Clear

26°24°

2.2 m/s

SatSep 12

Partly Cloudy

26°24°

2.2 m/s

SunSep 13

Partly Cloudy

29°22°

2.2 m/s

MonSep 14

Overcast

30°22°

1.4 m/s

Visibility: 40 km·Cloud: 1%

48-Hour Hourly Forecast

Hour-by-hour marine weather for the next 48 hours.

Now26°4—

01:0025°4—

02:0025°5—

03:0025°6—

04:0025°8—

05:0025°8—

06:0025°8—

07:0025°8—

08:0025°9—

09:0025°9—

10:0025°9—

11:0025°8—

12:0025°7—

13:0025°7—

14:0025°6—

15:0025°5—

16:0025°4—

17:0025°3—

18:0025°3—

19:0025°2—

20:0025°2—

21:0025°2—

22:0025°2—

23:0025°2—

00:0024°2—

01:0024°2—

02:0024°3—

03:0024°3—

04:0024°4—

05:0024°5—

06:0024°5—

07:0025°5—

08:0025°5—

09:0025°6—

10:0025°6—

11:0025°6—

12:0025°5—

13:0025°5—

14:0025°4—

15:0025°3—

16:0025°3—

17:0025°2—

18:0025°2—

19:0025°2—

20:0024°2—

21:0025°2—

22:0025°2—

23:0024°2—

7-Day OVI Trend

Forecast ocean viewing conditions for the coming week.

Best on Thu: Viewing conditions are Excellent; aim for the golden hour just after sunrise or before sunset. Great for snorkeling and photography.

High & Low Tides Today

Times and heights of today's high and low water.

Spring TideCoefficient: 116.4 / 120Higher coefficient means larger tide range; 120 is the largest spring, 20 the smallest neap.

Time	Type	Height
No tide extremes recorded today.

48-Hour OVI Trend

Hour-by-hour ocean viewing outlook for the next 48 hours, dampened by rainfall.

Today's Tide Summary

A quick look at the day's high and low water.

Nearby Beaches

Other beaches closest to Balos Beach.

186 km away

Perissa Beach

Cyclades, Greece

255 km away

Athens Riviera

Attica, Greece

258 km away

Paradise Beach

Cyclades, Greece

426 km away

Elli Beach

Dodecanese, Greece

Frequently asked questions

What is the Ocean Viewing Index (OVI) for Balos Beach?: OVI is a 0-100 composite score combining sea color, water clarity, visibility, sea conditions, sunlight and water quality to help you decide if the sea is worth seeing today.

Essential Information

Coordinates: 35.6000°, 23.6000°
Timezone: Europe/Athens
Region & Country: Chania, Greece

Data sources

Tides: UHSLC / FES2022b · Weather: NOAA GFS · Sea color: NASA MODIS/VIIRS