Two undistorted physical models at scales of 1 : 100 and 1 :50 were built to investigate the hydraulic and thermal properties of the Shuaiba nearshore area in Kuwait. The models reproduced the southern breakwaters of the Shuaiba harbor and the three cooling water intakes and five heated effluent and process water outlets. The 1 : 100 model was operated at frozen tidal levels under steady-state conditions. In the 1 :50 model, transient conditions were simulated, allowing the tidal levels and currents to vary over one complete tidal cycle. The models were constructed in the 56 x 37 m basin of the Hydraulic Laboratory at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).