Abstract: Using mooring and sectional observations in spring 2023, this study investigates the tidal current characteristics and water volume transport in the Qiongzhou strait. The results show that there are three main dominant tides in the strait, i.e., diurnal (O₁), semi-diurnal (M₂), and third-diurnal (M₃) tides, of which diurnal tides are the strongest, and their amplitude ratios are 1.0 : 0.40 : 0.19. The major axes of tidal current ellipses generally aligns with the coastline, with maximum amplitudes occurring at the surface. The ellipses rotate clockwise and counterclockwise in upper and lower layer for O₁, but total clockwise for M₂ and counterclockwise for M3. During the spring observation, the water volume transport across the strait is primarily westward, fluctuating between−0.10 Sv and 0.05 Sv, with an average of (−0.04±0.04) Sv. As the variation of the sea surface height difference and background currents at the two ends of the strait, eastward residual flow was observed during the latter period of the observation. The results provide insights into the seasonal variability of water exchange between the Beibu Gulf and the South China Sea.