<p>The Beibu Gulf, a region renowned for its dense population and robust economic activity, is increasingly confronted with escalating typhoon risks. To effectively mitigate the impacts of such disasters, it is imperative to gain mechanistic insights into the hydrodynamic responses of this area. In this study, using Typhoon Doksuri (2017) as a test case, we employ numerical simulations to analyze the Gulf's hydrodynamic response to varying typhoon tracks (actual and two synthetic trajectories). The results show that the flow field within the Gulf responds significantly differently to various typhoon tracks. Both the distribution of extreme sea levels and the typhoon-induced sea level changes are highly track-dependent, with the most destructive sea levels occurring when the typhoon passes through the Gulf’s central region. Additionally, near-inertial currents in the Gulf vary markedly between tracks, with their intensity notably weaker than in offshore regions. Analysis of the near-inertial kinetic energy balance reveals that wind-driven near-inertial energy is mainly dissipated by bottom friction, regardless of the track. Model results also indicate that vorticity input from typhoon winds dominates the Gulf’s vorticity budget during a typhoon. These findings are crucial for enhancing the resilience of Beibu Gulf to typhoon-induced disasters and are applicable to similar scenarios worldwide, where gulfs are facing with challenges posed by tropical cyclones.</p>