17 Islands That Appear and Disappear with Tides
Picture this: one moment you’re looking at open water, and six hours later, there’s an entire island sitting where waves used to crash. These vanishing acts happen twice daily around the world, creating some of nature’s most fascinating disappearing performances.
Tidal islands represent one of the ocean’s most captivating magic tricks. When the tide retreats, these hidden gems emerge from beneath the waves, revealing ancient causeways, medieval monasteries, and pristine beaches that exist in a constant dance between land and sea.
Here is a list of 17 islands that appear and disappear with the tides, each offering its own unique story of emergence and submersion.
Mont-Saint-Michel (France)
This UNESCO World Heritage Site in Normandy transforms from an isolated island into an accessible wonder as tides shift. The medieval abbey perched atop this rocky outcrop has watched the waters come and go for over a thousand years.
During extreme low tides, visitors can walk across the sandy flats, but when the tide returns, it rushes in faster than a galloping horse.
Holy Island (England)
Connected to the Northumberland coast by a narrow causeway, Holy Island becomes completely cut off when high tide rolls in. The island houses the ruins of Lindisfarne Priory, where monks once created some of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts in history.
Local tide tables are essential reading here—get caught on the wrong side, and you’re stuck for hours.
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Cramond Island (Scotland)
Just outside Edinburgh, this small Scottish island appears at low tide via a concrete causeway built during World War II. The walk takes about 20 minutes across the mudflats, revealing wartime fortifications and peaceful walking paths.
Many visitors have found themselves stranded when they misjudged the returning waters, making it Scotland’s most famous ‘oops’ destination.
Tombelaine (France)
This smaller cousin to Mont-Saint-Michel sits just a mile away in the same bay. Unlike its famous neighbor, Tombelaine remains largely wild and undeveloped, creating a perfect contrast to the bustling abbey nearby.
The island’s name means ‘tomb of Belaine,’ referencing an ancient Celtic festival, though the only tombs here belong to seabirds.
Bare Island
Located in Botany Bay near Sydney, this former military fortress becomes accessible during low tide via a narrow wooden bridge. The island served as a quarantine station and later housed coastal defenses during both world wars.
Today, it’s a popular spot for photographers who time their visits with the tide charts.
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St. Michael’s Mount
Cornwall’s answer to Mont-Saint-Michel, this castle-crowned island connects to the mainland by a granite causeway at low tide. The same family has lived in the castle for over 350 years, making it one of the few tidal islands with permanent residents.
When the tide’s up, a small boat ferry provides the only access to this fairytale fortress.
Filfla
This tiny uninhabited rock off Malta’s coast becomes even more isolated during high tide, when only its highest point remains visible. The island serves as a nature reserve and is completely off-limits to visitors, making it one of the Mediterranean’s most exclusive tidal islands.
During World War II, the Royal Navy used it for target practice, and unexploded ordnance still makes it dangerous to approach.
Burrow Island
Connected to Bigbury-on-Sea in Devon by a sand bar, this small island disappears entirely under spring tides. The approach requires careful timing and local knowledge, as the connecting beach can vanish quickly when conditions change.
Local surfers often use the island as a launching point for catching waves in the surrounding waters.
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Coney Island
Not the famous New York destination, but a small tidal island in County Sligo, Ireland. This uninhabited patch of land emerges from Sligo Bay during low tide, connected by a narrow strip of sand and rocks.
Local folklore claims the island was once much larger before coastal erosion reduced it to its current size.
St. Ninian’s Isle
Connected to mainland Shetland by a stunning white sand tombolo, this island becomes a peninsula at low tide. The connection creates one of Scotland’s most photographed beach scenes, with turquoise waters on both sides of the sand bridge.
Archaeological excavations here uncovered a hoard of Pictish silver, suggesting the island held importance long before modern visitors arrived.
Drangey
This steep-sided island in Iceland’s Skagafjörður becomes accessible only during the lowest tides via a precarious climbing route. The island gained fame as the hiding place of Grettir the Strong, an outlaw from Icelandic sagas who lived here for three years.
Today, it’s primarily known for its massive puffin colony and the rope ladder that provides the only way up its 600-foot cliffs.
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Rat Island
Located in Poole Harbour, Dorset, this small nature reserve connects to the mainland during extreme low tides. Despite its unfortunate name, the island provides crucial habitat for wading birds and supports rare salt-marsh plants.
Access is restricted to protect the wildlife, though kayakers often paddle around its perimeter during high tide.
Burgh Island
This Art Deco paradise off the Devon coast transforms from island to peninsula twice daily. The island features a luxury hotel that inspired Agatha Christie’s novels, and guests can reach it by vintage sea tractor during high tide.
The dramatic tidal changes add an element of adventure to what might otherwise be an ordinary hotel stay.
Oronsay
Connected to the Scottish island of Colonsay by a sand and shingle bar called ‘The Strand,’ Oronsay becomes accessible only during low tide. The crossing takes about 20 minutes on foot, leading to the ruins of a 14th-century priory and some of Scotland’s finest carved stone crosses.
Timing is crucial—many visitors have spent unexpected nights camping under the stars when they miscalculated the tide.
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Shell Island
Despite its name, this isn’t technically an island anymore, but a peninsula in Wales connected by a narrow causeway that floods during high tide. The flooding creates temporary isolation for campers and day visitors, adding excitement to what’s already one of Wales’ most beautiful beaches.
The area gets its name from the extraordinary variety of shells that wash up on its shores.
Worm’s Head
This serpentine rocky outcrop extends from the Gower Peninsula in Wales, accessible only during the two hours before and after low tide. The narrow causeway becomes completely submerged during high tide, creating a genuine risk for unprepared visitors.
Dylan Thomas used to walk here regularly, and the dramatic isolation surely influenced his poetry.
Hayling Island
While technically connected by a road bridge, the original tidal causeway to Hayling Island still floods during spring tides, temporarily cutting off the southern route. This Hampshire island maintains its tidal island character in places where the old paths cross the mudflats.
Local sailors know to check tide times before venturing across these traditional routes.
Where Land Meets the Rhythm of the Sea
These tidal islands remind us that not everything in nature follows our human schedule. They operate on oceanic time, appearing and vanishing with ancient rhythms that predate our calendars and clocks.
Each emergence offers a brief window into landscapes that exist between two worlds—neither fully land nor completely sea. The next time you find yourself near one of these disappearing wonders, remember that you’re witnessing one of Earth’s most reliable magic shows, performed twice daily for over four billion years.
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