<p>Knowledge of tidal channel processes is central to a wide range of wetland ecosystem management, particularly predicting exchange of water-borne deleterious materials. While flow and water level vectors and their duration are commonly reported drivers of material transport in the channels, appraisal of the response of these drivers to tidal range time series in a comparative quantitative sense is rare in the literature. This report presents analysis of 50-day time series relationship between tidal range and 38 hydrodynamic variables in five tidal channels (Itak Abasi and Douglas Creeks, estuaries of Imo and Qua Iboe River, and Calabar tidal river) on the mesotidal coast of SE Nigeria. Four channels (aside Douglas Creek) displayed 62 – 85% of velocity variables correlating with tidal range beyond threshold level (r ≥  ± 0.5). The non-creek channels indicated threshold correlation level for 83% of the water depth and water depth – duration variables but 43% for the velocity – duration variables. Only mean flood velocity displayed threshold correlation with tidal range in all the channels. Tidal range control on all the hydrodynamic variables was least marked in the inlet-type channel compared with the estuarine-type counterparts. Results suggest caution in relating tidal range to effectiveness of a given driver of material transport especially in tidal creek channels. The predictive relationships from this study can serve as basis for first-order estimation of magnitude of hydrodynamic variables in comparable coastal settings, given the more readily available record of tidal range.</p>