The coasts of the gulf have capes Langeron and Malyi Fontan.

In the north-western part of the gulf the estuaries Kuyalnik and Khadzhibey are separated by the Kuyalnik-Khadzhibey sandbar.

The gulf of Odesa is more like a bight, especially considering the fact that geologically it is an extension of Black Sea Lowland.

[1] The Gulf of Odesa is under the influence of the flows of the rivers Dnieper, Dniester, and Danube.

The salinity of the surface waters is normally 10–17‰, with upwelling up to 18‰,[2] but decreases in some years to about 5–7‰.