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Coldest sea in South Africa

115 coastal locations in South Africa ranked by year-round average sea temperature, coldest first. The regional average is 18.4°C. The top of the list is where the water stays cold all year. The contrast list at the bottom shows the warmest coasts for context.

Coldest location

Marion Island

Year-round average 6.2°C in South Africa

Regional average

18.4°C

across all 115 South Africa coastal locations

Coldest month

August

16.8°C region-wide average

South Africa monthly average 16.8°C to 20.4°C
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  • Warmest month February 20.4°C
  • Coldest month August 16.8°C
  • Annual mean 18.4°C
  • Months above 20°C 2 of 12

Month by month across South Africa

Sea temperatures in South Africa swing from 16.8°C in August to 20.4°C in February on average across every coast we track. That spread of 4°C hides much bigger swings at individual locations.

Want a specific month? Pick one for a dedicated ranking:

South Africa sea temperature map

Today's pin colours show the latest daily reading at every South Africa location we track. Cool blues cluster around the high-latitude coasts.

Zoom in to see individual locations. Click a pin for water temperatures. View list →
°C -2 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 27 30 35

Top 50 coldest locations in South Africa

Coastal locations across South Africa sorted by year-round average, coldest first. Honest cold-water swimming country. Click any place for its 30-day chart, monthly profile, and 10-year history.

# Location Annual mean
1 Marion Island Western Cape 6.2°C
2 Port Nolloth 13.8°C
3 St Helena Bay 14.3°C
4 Velddrif 14.3°C
5 Hondeklip Bay 14.4°C
6 Elands Bay 14.5°C
7 Lamberts Bay Western Cape 14.5°C
8 Alexander Bay 14.6°C
9 Bloubergstrand 14.7°C
10 Camps Bay 14.7°C
11 Cape Town 14.7°C
12 Clifton 14.7°C
13 Sea Point 14.7°C
14 Sunset Beach 14.7°C
15 Langebaan 14.7°C
16 Buffels Bay Western Cape 14.8°C
17 Paternoster 14.8°C
18 Schrywers Hoek Western Cape 14.8°C
19 Schrywershoek Western Cape 14.8°C
20 Yzerfontein 14.9°C
21 Saldanha 15.1°C
22 Boulders Beach 15.2°C
23 Fish Hoek 15.2°C
24 Glencairn Beach 15.2°C
25 Hout Bay 15.2°C
Show 25 more ▸
26 Kalk Bay 15.2°C
27 Kommetjie 15.2°C
28 Melkbosstrand 15.2°C
29 Muizenberg 15.2°C
30 Noordhoek 15.2°C
31 Scarborough 15.2°C
32 Simon's Town 15.2°C
33 St James 15.2°C
34 Big Bay Western Cape 15.2°C
35 Robben Island Western Cape 15.2°C
36 Table Bay Western Cape 15.2°C
37 Llandudno Western Cape 16.2°C
38 Cape Point 16.2°C
39 Gansbaai 16.3°C
40 Pearly Beach 16.3°C
41 Milnerton 16.3°C
42 Pringle Bay 16.3°C
43 Khayelitsha Western Cape 16.4°C
44 Gordon's Bay 16.7°C
45 Strand 16.7°C
46 Betty's Bay Western Cape 16.8°C
47 Hermanus 16.8°C
48 Rooiels Western Cape 16.8°C
49 Gaansbaai Western Cape 16.8°C
50 False Bay 17.0°C

Warmest 10 in South Africa for contrast

Same data flipped. Useful if you want to know which South Africa coasts stay warmest year-round before you commit to a cold-water swim trip.

# Location Annual mean
1 Kosi Bay KwaZulu-Natal 25.0°C
2 Cape Vidal KwaZulu-Natal 25.0°C
3 Sodwana Bay 24.9°C
4 Saint Lucia KwaZulu-Natal 24.7°C
5 St Lucia 24.7°C
6 Richards Bay 24.2°C
7 Margate 24.0°C
8 Shelly Beach KwaZulu-Natal 24.0°C
9 Port Shepstone 23.9°C
10 Amanzimtoti 23.8°C

More on this region