Abstract In the present paper the dynamic response of tall offshore monopile steel wind turbine towers under wind, wave and current during the erection stage is studied. In particular, in the present paper the effect of current-wave-wind interaction as dynamic loading on the dynamic response of offshore wind turbine towers is for first time studied experimentally. Various loading states involving wind-wave, wind-current, wave-current, wind-wave-current to measure the displacement, velocity and acceleration of the tower model at three points on the tower wall respectively. A statistical analysis of the dynamic displacements of the model is conducted to study the effect of various loading states on the respective dynamic response. As outcome of the present study it was confirmed that the current field strongly affects the dynamic response of offshore monopoles and in particular, more significantly than the wave field. In the final part, an advanced finite element model is proposed for the efficient study of the structural response of the tower model during erection under current, wave and wind interaction.