Doubtful Sound Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Doubtful Sound right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Doubtful Sound, New Zealand on January 10, 2026.

Today

Yesterday

A week ago

At this temperature, water will feel cold compared to a swimming pool, but with a bit of experience and practice most people will find the water relatively comfortable to swim in.

The average sea temperature for Doubtful Sound on January 10 over the last 10 years is 16.03° C (60.85° F), with a low temperature of 14.21° C (57.58° F) and a high of 19.87° C (67.77° F).

Analysis and forecast for Doubtful Sound water temperatures

The water temperature in Doubtful Sound today is the same as the average temperature of 16.03° C (60.85° F) and the temperature on this day last year was 16.03° C (60.85° F).

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

DateTemperature (Celsius)Temperature (Fahrenheit)
January 1016.03° C60.85° F
January 915.9° C60.63° F
January 815.84° C60.5° F
January 715.97° C60.74° F
January 615.96° C60.72° F
January 516.05° C60.9° F
January 416.2° C61.15° F
January 316.28° C61.3° F
January 216.26° C61.28° F
January 116.17° C61.1° F
December 3116.07° C60.92° F
December 3016° C60.8° F
December 2916.06° C60.9° F
December 2816.03° C60.85° F
December 2715.96° C60.72° F
December 2615.91° C60.65° F
December 2515.88° C60.59° F
December 2415.75° C60.35° F
December 2315.81° C60.45° F
December 2215.76° C60.37° F
December 2115.68° C60.23° F
December 2015.49° C59.89° F
December 1915.48° C59.87° F
December 1815.47° C59.85° F
December 1715.44° C59.8° F
December 1615.37° C59.66° F
December 1515.38° C59.67° F
December 1415.39° C59.71° F
December 1315.51° C59.91° F
December 1215.23° C59.41° 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 Doubtful Sound by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in Doubtful Sound.

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

Doubtful Sound map and nearby water temperatures

Doubtful Sound sea temperature map

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Doubtful Sound?

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

SST is one measure that provides information on the global climate, and it can be used to predict the weather in Doubtful Sound 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 Doubtful Sound 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.