Warmest sea in Africa in May

748 coastal locations in Africa ranked by their typical May sea temperature. Region-wide average in May: 24.4°C. The top of the list is where to find the warmest swimming this month.

Warmest in May

Ghoubbet El Kharâb

31.0°C May mean in Djibouti

Regional May average

24.4°C

across all 748 coastal locations in Africa

Vs annual mean

-0.0°C

below the year-round regional average

What the Africa sea feels like in May

Water at this temperature is very pleasant to swim in. If you tend to wear a wetsuit when swimming, you might consider removing it now to avoid the body overheating.

Africa monthly average 24.2°C to 24.9°C

Warmest month November 24.9°C
Coldest month March 24.2°C
Annual mean 24.4°C
Months above 20°C 12 of 12

Where May fits in the year

May sits inside the regional pattern shown on the left. Pick a different month to see how the ranking shifts.

All twelve Africa month rankings:

Africa sea temperature map (live)

The map shows today's latest reading at every Africa location. The list below is based on the typical May mean, useful for trip planning weeks or months ahead.

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 warmest Africa locations in May

Sorted by the typical May mean built from a decade of daily readings at each location. Click any place for its 30-day chart, monthly profile, and full 10-year history.

#	Location	Country	May mean
1	Ghoubbet El Kharâb Devil's Islands	Djibouti	31.0°C
2	Djibouti	Djibouti	31.0°C
3	Tadjoura	Djibouti	31.0°C
4	Abaya Lake	Ethiopia	31.0°C
5	Arba Minch	Ethiopia	31.0°C
6	Djibouti Djibouti	Djibouti	31.0°C
7	Loyada	Djibouti	30.9°C
8	Saylac Awdal	Somalia	30.8°C
9	Obock	Djibouti	30.8°C
10	Mits'iwa Northern Red Sea	Eritrea	30.8°C
11	Dahlac Archipelago	Eritrea	30.7°C
12	Massawa	Eritrea	30.7°C
13	Harmil Island Northern Red Sea	Eritrea	30.6°C
14	Bahir Dar	Ethiopia	30.6°C
15	Lake Tana	Ethiopia	30.6°C
16	Berbera	Somalia	30.5°C
17	Qandala	Somalia	30.4°C
18	Bosaso	Somalia	30.4°C
19	Sawabi Obock	Djibouti	30.1°C
20	Bird Island	Seychelles	30.0°C
21	Xiis Sanaag	Somalia	30.0°C
22	Denis Island	Seychelles	30.0°C
23	Caluula Bari	Somalia	29.9°C
24	Ile Denis Inner Islands	Seychelles	29.9°C
25	Anse Lazio	Seychelles	29.9°C

Show 25 more ▸

26	Anse Volbert	Seychelles	29.9°C
27	Cousin Island	Seychelles	29.9°C
28	North Island	Seychelles	29.9°C
29	Praslin	Seychelles	29.9°C
30	Silhouette Island	Seychelles	29.9°C
31	Felicite Island	Seychelles	29.8°C
32	La Digue	Seychelles	29.8°C
33	Beau Vallon	Seychelles	29.8°C
34	Island Cerf	Seychelles	29.8°C
35	Mahe Island	Seychelles	29.8°C
36	Victoria	Seychelles	29.8°C
37	Island Anonyme	Seychelles	29.8°C
38	Round Island	Seychelles	29.8°C
39	Sainte Anne Island	Seychelles	29.8°C
40	Baie Curieuse Grand'Anse Mahé	Seychelles	29.8°C
41	Praslin Island Baie Sainte Anne	Seychelles	29.8°C
42	Calabar	Nigeria	29.8°C
43	Esuk Oron	Nigeria	29.8°C
44	Jamestown Akwa Ibom	Nigeria	29.8°C
45	Rio del Rey Entrance Ndian	Cameroon	29.7°C
46	Frigate Island	Seychelles	29.7°C
47	Île Aux Vaches Grand'Anse Mahé	Seychelles	29.7°C
48	Mahé Grand'Anse Mahé	Seychelles	29.7°C
49	Edd	Eritrea	29.7°C
50	Sinoe Bay Sinoe County	Liberia	29.7°C

Coldest 10 in Africa in May

Same data the other way. Helpful if you want to know which Africa coasts to avoid for swimming in May.

#	Location	Country	May mean
1	Marion Island Western Cape	South Africa	6.6°C
2	Sal	Morocco	12.8°C
3	Luderitz	Namibia	13.0°C
4	Port Nolloth	South Africa	13.0°C
5	Hondeklip Bay	South Africa	13.5°C
6	Lamberts Bay Western Cape	South Africa	13.6°C
7	St Helena Bay	South Africa	13.6°C
8	Velddrif	South Africa	13.6°C
9	Buffels Bay Western Cape	South Africa	13.7°C
10	Oranjemund Karas Region	Namibia	13.7°C