Favourite beach weather AND sea surface temperature for swimming (sunshine, cloudy, ground)

[ADGreen]

I swim a lot around Sydney and love the beaches, bays and coves. It really is a paradise for beach go-ers here

However I am surprised at how variable the SSTs can be day-on-day and even when, say, comparing the harbour beaches with the open ocean beaches. I was down at Coogee one day last summer and the water was icy.

Then in June last year (first winter month) down at Bondi one weekend day it was very pleasant and I stayed in for around 45 minutes without any discomfort. Th up welling that can sometimes occur can mess with the temperatures but I generally have few problems most of the year with our SSTs

[Trimac20]

SSTs right on the beach, especially if the waters are shallow, vary a lot more than where most SST measurements are taken. So while the SST map might show an average of say 22C for February for Bondi, it might be 24C or something on a particularly hot day. At the beach near Albany we went to there was a large tidal rock pool that was popular with swimmers. The beach I'm sure was colder than 19C, but this rock pool was warmer than the beach off Perth. It was 30C that day (very warm for that location) and we were there in the early afternoon. The water in that rock pool felt like 24-25C at least, and it was constantly refreshed by the ocean so it wasn't totally separate of course.

[tom77falcons]

Originally Posted by Derek40

This is a problem, often you don't know what the temperature of the water was, and it can change quite markedly from week to week - particularly in early summer.
We went to Nobbys Beach in Newcastle yesterday, and the water temp was divine, but I'm guessing it was only 21-22C, and the outside temp was 26C at the beach.
By contrast a cold current can often be present even up until Xmas, and water temps are only 18C - which I don't find pleasant.

This is very true. I've often heard the sea water temps don't vary much compared to air temps. While this is true in the main, I've seen sea water temps here go from 75F to 65F in one day with offshore winds and upwelling. I think water temps vary more than people think.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by tom77falcons

This is very true. I've often heard the sea water temps don't vary much compared to air temps. While this is true in the main, I've seen sea water temps here go from 75F to 65F in one day with offshore winds and upwelling. I think water temps vary more than people think.

On a seasonal basis they don't vary much in Southern Australia. Off Perth the difference between March and September is about 2C. Off Charleston, SC, the difference might be 8-10C.

[tarzan_taborda]

sunny, 30ºC minimum
water temperature 18ºC minimum, every degree above it's a positive extra.

[The East Frisian]

25-29°C outside with water temperatures at least close to 20°C.
But my favourite temperature for swimming is 21-23°C, i can really stay in the water for longer at those temperatures, unfortunality that does not happen very often here, only in prolonged warm spells in shallower water.

18°C is my lower limit for swimming, if it is colder than i only take a quick dip in the water and then i go straight back to the beach.

[tarzan_taborda]

Originally Posted by The East Frisian

18°C is my lower limit for swimming, if it is colder than i only take a quick dip in the water and then i go straight back to the beach.

For me too, and unfortunately beaches in northern Portugal only average 17.5ºC in September(warmest month), it's always very chilly, there are some days where it gets to 20/22ºC but it's rare.

[Ethereal]

Since our waters are around 23C at the highest, the temp has to be 38C+ (100F). Or else it will feel cold.

[tenkier7]

Air Temperature : 82~90°F(28~32°C)
Sea Surface Temperature : 79~86°F(26~30°C)

[miamihurricane555]

ideal beach weather is mostly sunny with an air temp of 30-33c and SST of 27-30c.