South Tarawa Sea Temperature

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

Water temperature in South Tarawa right now

Below is the current sea temperature for South Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati on January 10, 2026.

Today

Yesterday

A week ago

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 South Tarawa on January 10 over the last 10 years is 29.06° C (84.31° F), with a low temperature of 27.77° C (81.99° F) and a high of 30.76° C (87.37° F).

Analysis and forecast for South Tarawa water temperatures

The water temperature in South Tarawa today is the same as the average temperature of 29.06° C (84.31° F) and the temperature on this day last year was 29.06° C (84.31° F).

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

DateTemperature (Celsius)Temperature (Fahrenheit)
January 1029.06° C84.31° F
January 929.07° C84.34° F
January 829.13° C84.44° F
January 729.18° C84.52° F
January 629.14° C84.46° F
January 529.15° C84.47° F
January 429.18° C84.52° F
January 329.17° C84.5° F
January 229.07° C84.32° F
January 129.03° C84.25° F
December 3129.02° C84.23° F
December 3028.92° C84.06° F
December 2928.89° C84° F
December 2828.88° C83.99° F
December 2728.77° C83.78° F
December 2628.81° C83.85° F
December 2528.84° C83.91° F
December 2428.8° C83.84° F
December 2328.74° C83.74° F
December 2228.79° C83.82° F
December 2128.82° C83.89° F
December 2028.9° C84.02° F
December 1928.92° C84.05° F
December 1828.98° C84.16° F
December 1729° C84.2° F
December 1629.1° C84.38° F
December 1529.14° C84.45° F
December 1429.19° C84.54° F
December 1329.1° C84.37° F
December 1229.01° C84.22° 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 South Tarawa by month

The chart below shows the monthly average water temperature in South Tarawa.

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

South Tarawa map and nearby water temperatures

South Tarawa sea temperature map

Locations near South Tarawa

Why measure sea surface temperatures (SST) in South Tarawa?

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