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Warmest sea in South Africa

115 coastal locations in South Africa ranked by their year-round average sea temperature. The regional average is 18.4°C. The top of the list shows where to find the warmest water in a typical year. The bottom shows the coldest year-round coasts of the region.

Warmest location

Kosi Bay

25.0°C annual mean in South Africa

Regional average

18.4°C

across all 115 South Africa coastal locations

Warmest month

February

20.4°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. Pick any pin for the location's full page.

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 locations in South Africa

The warmest coastal locations across all of South Africa, sorted by year-round average. Click any place for its 30-day chart, monthly profile, and 10-year history.

# 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
11 Umkomaas 23.8°C
12 Port Edward KwaZulu-Natal 23.8°C
13 Port Saint Johns 23.7°C
14 Scottburgh 23.6°C
15 Coffee Bay 23.4°C
16 eSikhawini KwaZulu-Natal 23.4°C
17 Mtunzini KwaZulu-Natal 23.4°C
18 Umhlanga 23.3°C
19 Ballito KwaZulu-Natal 23.1°C
20 Salt Rock KwaZulu-Natal 23.1°C
21 Umdloti KwaZulu-Natal 23.1°C
22 Umhlanga Rocks KwaZulu-Natal 23.1°C
23 Ballitoville 23.0°C
24 Durban 23.0°C
25 Tugela River KwaZulu-Natal 23.0°C
Show 25 more ▸
26 KwaZulu-Natal 22.9°C
27 Mazeppa Bay Eastern Cape 22.8°C
28 East London 22.6°C
29 Morgans Bay Eastern Cape 21.9°C
30 Wavecrest Eastern Cape 21.9°C
31 Chintsa Eastern Cape 21.7°C
32 Kidd's Beach Eastern Cape 21.5°C
33 Port Alfred 20.5°C
34 Kenton-on-Sea Eastern Cape 19.7°C
35 Port Alfred, South Africa Eastern Cape 19.2°C
36 Jeffreys Bay 19.1°C
37 Port Elizabeth 18.6°C
38 Cape Saint Francis Eastern Cape 18.6°C
39 St Francis Bay Eastern Cape 18.6°C
40 Plettenberg Bay 18.6°C
41 Stormsrivier Eastern Cape 18.5°C
42 Nature’s Valley Western Cape 18.5°C
43 Oyster Bay Eastern Cape 18.5°C
44 Knysna 18.5°C
45 Brenton-on-Sea Western Cape 18.4°C
46 Buffelsbaai 18.4°C
47 Herolds Bay Western Cape 18.4°C
48 Sedgefield Western Cape 18.4°C
49 Agulhas 18.3°C
50 Cape Agulhas 18.3°C

Coldest 10 in South Africa for contrast

Same data, sorted the other way. Useful if you want to know which South Africa coasts stay coldest year-round.

# 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

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