Cooktown Sea Temperature

Looking to find out what the sea water temperature in Cooktown is for today and the next few days? Below are data and charts that will give you information about sea temperatures in Cooktown and nearby locations.

Water temperature in Cooktown right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Cooktown, Australia on 21st April 2025.

28.22° C

(82.8° F)

  • yesterday: 28.39° C (83.11° F)
  • a week ago: 28.48° C (83.26° F)

This water temperature is comparable to that of a swimming pool, but it might be higher than most open water swimmers prefer for serious swimming. Make sure to drink plenty of water before and after swimming and don't wear a wetsuit to avoid overheating.

The average sea temperature for Cooktown on April 21st over the last 10 years is 27.71° C (81.88° F), with a low temperature of 26.93° C (80.47° F) and a high of 28.85° C (83.93° F).

Analysis and forecast for Cooktown water temperatures

The water temperature in Cooktown today is higher than the average temperature of 27.71° C (81.88° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 21st April 2024, was 28.22° C (82.8° F).

The chart and table below shows the change in water temperature in Cooktown over the last 30 days:

Date Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
April 21 28.22° C 82.8° F
April 20 28.39° C 83.11° F
April 19 27.95° C 82.31° F
April 18 27.91° C 82.24° F
April 17 27.81° C 82.06° F
April 16 28° C 82.4° F
April 15 28.3° C 82.94° F
April 14 28.48° C 83.26° F
April 13 28.76° C 83.77° F
April 12 28.97° C 84.15° F
April 11 28.84° C 83.91° F
April 10 28.89° C 84° F
April 9 28.94° C 84.09° F
April 8 29.27° C 84.69° F
April 7 29.44° C 84.99° F
April 6 29.7° C 85.46° F
April 5 29.73° C 85.51° F
April 4 29.9° C 85.82° F
April 3 29.43° C 84.97° F
April 2 29.31° C 84.76° F
April 1 29.24° C 84.63° F
March 31 29.32° C 84.78° F
March 30 29.53° C 85.15° F
March 29 29.41° C 84.94° F
March 28 29.16° C 84.49° F
March 27 29.15° C 84.47° F
March 26 28.99° C 84.18° F
March 25 28.93° C 84.07° F
March 24 29.15° C 84.47° F
March 23 29.13° C 84.43° F
March 22 29.02° C 84.24° F

The actual nearshore temperatures may vary by several degrees and this can also be heavily affected by weather. Strong winds can cause cold, deep waters to replace the surface waters that had been warmed by the sun, and heavy rain can also reduce the temperature of the sea surface temperature as well.

Water temperature in Cooktown by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Cooktown.

For more detailed information on how the sea temperature in Cooktown changes for each month of the year, choose from the months below.

Cooktown map and nearby water temperatures

The highest temperature in Australia today is 29.99° C (85.99° F) in Weipa. The lowest is in Coffin Bay, where the temperature of the water is 14.78° C (58.61° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Cooktown?

The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Cooktown because they want to understand and learn how the ocean communicates with the atomosphere of Earth.

SST is one measure that provides information on the global climate, and it can be used to predict the weather in Cooktown as well as atmospheric model simulations and to study marine ecosystems in the area.

Data source and citation

Raw data for the calculations made to find the sea surface temperature in Cooktown comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and their 1/4° daily Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature.

The water temperature data is constructed by combining observations from different platforms (satellites, ships, buoys, and Argo floats) on a regular global grid. A spatially complete sea surface temperature map is then built by interpolating to fill in gaps in the data.

If you'd like to use any of the information above in the format it is presented, please use the citation tool below.

  • "Cooktown Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on April 21, 2025. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/.

  • "Cooktown Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/. Accessed 21 April, 2025

  • Cooktown Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/australia/cooktown/.