Cape Town Water Temperature

(Today) 2024

16.1°C / 61°F

The water will feel medium. The water will feel a bit chilly in just bathers / swimming costume. If you plan on wearing a wetsuit 4/3mm should be thick enough.

Current weather

21°C / 70°F
(few clouds)
Partly cloudy
Wind
16 mph
Humidity
79%

The measurements for the water temperature in Cape Town, Western Cape are provided by the daily satellite readings provided by the NOAA. The temperatures given are the sea surface temperature (SST) which is most relevant to recreational users.

*Live data may vary from satellite readings for a number of reasons. These include local factors, depth of smapling and time of day.

Water temp by month

Monthly average max / min water temperatures

The graph below shows the range of monthly Cape Town water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data.

Cape Town average maximum / minimum water temperatures
Maximum and minimum monthly sea temperatures in Cape Town
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min °C 16.7 16.6 16.6 14.9 14.9 14.9 14.3 14.1 14.5 14.8 16 16.7
Max °C 21.2 20.3 20.8 19.2 18.4 17.5 16.4 16.3 16.2 17.4 18.7 20
Min °F 63.8 63.3 63.6 60.5 60.2 59.9 58.5 58.3 58.7 59.7 61.8 63.3
Max °F 68.3 67 67.8 64.8 63.7 62.5 60.6 60.5 60.4 62.3 64.5 66.6

The warmest water temperature is in January with an average around 66°F / 18.9°C. The coldest month is August with an average water temperature of 59.4°F / 15.2°C.

7 day tide forecast for Cape Town

ThuFriSatSunMonTueWed
  • Low 12:31am
    (0.64m)
  • High 07:02am
    (1.47m)
  • Low 01:22pm
    (0.78m)
  • High 07:19pm
    (1.31m)
  • Low 01:32am
    (0.75m)
  • High 08:10am
    (1.4m)
  • Low 02:53pm
    (0.83m)
  • High 08:40pm
    (1.22m)
  • Low 02:54am
    (0.81m)
  • High 09:32am
    (1.38m)
  • Low 04:25pm
    (0.81m)
  • High 10:16pm
    (1.22m)
  • Low 04:19am
    (0.82m)
  • High 10:48am
    (1.41m)
  • Low 05:31pm
    (0.75m)
  • High 11:31pm
    (1.27m)
  • Low 05:24am
    (0.78m)
  • High 11:45am
    (1.46m)
  • Low 06:17pm
    (0.68m)
  • High 12:21am
    (1.34m)
  • Low 06:12am
    (0.73m)
  • High 12:28pm
    (1.53m)
  • Low 06:53pm
    (0.6m)
  • High 01:01am
    (1.42m)
  • Low 06:52am
    (0.67m)
  • High 01:04pm
    (1.59m)
  • Low 07:25pm
    (0.53m)
7 day tide times for Cape Town

*These tide times are estimates based on the nearest accurate location (Cape Town, South Africa) and may differ by up to half an hour depending on distance. Please note, the tide times given are not suitable for navigational purposes.