Kaikoura Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in Kaikoura right now

Below is the current sea temperature for Kaikoura, New Zealand on 16th April 2024.

14.53° C

(58.15° F)

yesterday: 14.26° C (57.67° F)
a week ago: 15.05° C (59.09° F)

Water at this temperature is cold and will feel very cold initially, but the body will get used to it and longer swims are possible. Experienced swimmers can manage several hours of swimming, however hypothermia is still a very big risk.

The average sea temperature for Kaikoura on April 16th over the last 10 years is 14.31° C (57.75° F), with a low temperature of 12.75° C (54.95° F) and a high of 15.54° C (59.97° F).

Analysis and forecast for Kaikoura water temperatures

The water temperature in Kaikoura today is higher than the average temperature of 14.31° C (57.75° F) and the temperature on this day last year, 16th April 2023, was 14.51° C (58.12° F).

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

Date	Temperature (Celsius)	Temperature (Fahrenheit)
April 16	14.53° C	58.15° F
April 15	14.26° C	57.67° F
April 13	14.24° C	57.63° F
April 12	14.44° C	57.99° F
April 11	14.57° C	58.23° F
April 10	14.92° C	58.86° F
April 9	15.05° C	59.09° F
April 8	14.69° C	58.44° F
April 7	14.47° C	58.05° F
April 6	14.43° C	57.97° F
April 5	14.52° C	58.14° F
April 4	14.49° C	58.08° F
April 3	14.78° C	58.6° F
April 2	14.67° C	58.41° F
April 1	14.62° C	58.32° F
March 31	14.94° C	58.89° F
March 30	15.01° C	59.02° F
March 29	15.18° C	59.32° F
March 28	15.31° C	59.56° F
March 27	15.62° C	60.12° F
March 26	15.99° C	60.78° F
March 25	16.32° C	61.38° F
March 24	15.45° C	59.81° F
March 23	15.29° C	59.52° F
March 22	15.1° C	59.18° F
March 21	15.09° C	59.16° F
March 20	15.14° C	59.25° F
March 19	15.23° C	59.41° F
March 18	15.37° C	59.67° F
March 17	15.43° C	59.77° F
March 16	15.54° C	59.97° 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 Kaikoura by month

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

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

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Kaikoura map and nearby water temperatures

The highest temperature in New Zealand today is 20.29° C (68.52° F) in Coopers Beach. The lowest is in Dunedin, where the temperature of the water is 13.75° C (56.74° F).

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in Kaikoura?

The ocean covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, and scientists record the sea surface temperature (SST) of locations such as Kaikoura 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 Kaikoura 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 Kaikoura 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.

<a href="http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/kaikoura/">Kaikoura Sea Temperature</a>
"Kaikoura Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net. Accessed on April 16, 2024. http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/kaikoura/.
"Kaikoura Sea Temperature". SeaTemperatures.net, http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/kaikoura/. Accessed 16 April, 2024
Kaikoura Sea Temperature. SeaTemperatures.net. Retrieved from http://seatemperatures.net/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/kaikoura/.