Imagine standing on a frozen stretch of sea, looking across just 2.5 miles of icy water. On the other side? A different country, a different day, and a completely different time. Welcome to the Diomede Islands—one of the most surreal places on Earth where you can literally walk from today into tomorrow.
A Glimpse Into the Bering Strait
Nestled in the middle of the Bering Strait, between mainland Alaska and Siberia, lie two tiny islands:
-
Little Diomede, owned by the United States
-
Big Diomede, owned by Russia
Though they’re only separated by about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of ocean, these islands are divided by more than just water. They’re split by the International Date Line, making them a pair of islands with a 22-hour time difference.
A Short Walk into the Future
In winter, the sea between these islands can freeze solid, creating a temporary natural bridge of ice. While crossing is strictly prohibited due to political tensions and safety concerns, the concept itself is mind-blowing.
Let’s say you set off from Little Diomede at 10:00 AM on a Tuesday. After walking for about an hour across the frozen sea, you step foot on Big Diomede, where the local time isn’t 11:00 AM—it’s 8:00 AM on Wednesday. You’ve just traveled 22 hours into the future, simply by crossing a frozen path.
Why the Big Time Difference?
The International Date Line is an imaginary boundary running between the two islands. It’s not a straight line, but rather a jagged, carefully drawn path that zigzags to keep countries in the same time zones. Big Diomede (Russia) lies just west of the line, while Little Diomede (USA) lies just east of it.
This creates a surreal contrast:
-
From Little Diomede, you can literally see tomorrow.
-
From Big Diomede, you can look back at yesterday.
New Year’s Twice
Here’s where it gets even more fascinating. These islands technically celebrate New Year’s twice. You could, in theory:
-
Ring in the New Year on Big Diomede (Russia)
-
Then hop over to Little Diomede (USA) and celebrate it again, nearly a full day later
While the reality of international borders and travel restrictions makes this just a fun thought experiment, the idea of time travel by foot is what makes this location so special.
Life on the Edge of Time
Only Little Diomede is inhabited, with a small native Inuit village home to fewer than 100 people. Big Diomede, on the other hand, has no permanent residents—it’s home to a Russian military outpost and is off-limits to civilians.
Despite being so close, the islands are worlds apart—politically, temporally, and culturally.
Final Thoughts
The Diomede Islands are one of Earth’s most poetic contradictions: two lands almost touching, yet separated by an entire day. It’s a place where the concept of time becomes tangible—where you can gaze across the sea and literally see into the future.
In a world of GPS and atomic clocks, it’s humbling to know that time can still feel mysterious—and that sometimes, yesterday and tomorrow are only a short walk apart.
