Cairns Water Temperature

(Today) 2024

23.3°C / 73.9°F

The water will feel warm (balmy). Most people will be OK with just bathers / swimming costume at this temperature. If you intend to stay in the water for a while a thin shorty wetsuit will suffice.

Current weather

22°C / 72°F
(light rain)
Partly cloudy
Wind
10 mph
Humidity
88%

The measurements for the water temperature in Cairns, Queensland 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 Cairns water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data.

Cairns average maximum / minimum water temperatures
Maximum and minimum monthly sea temperatures in Cairns
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min °C 27.9 27.9 27.3 26.5 24.4 22.9 22.4 23.1 23.2 24.5 26.1 27.8
Max °C 31 30.8 29.6 28.9 27.9 26.1 25.2 24.9 26.5 28.2 29 30.1
Min °F 83.4 83.3 82 80.7 77.3 74.5 73.4 74.3 75 77.5 80.1 82.9
Max °F 86.5 86.2 84.3 83.1 80.8 77.7 76.2 76.1 78.3 81.2 83 85.2

The warmest water temperature is in January with an average around 84.9°F / 29.4°C. The coldest month is July with an average water temperature of 74.8°F / 23.8°C.

7 day tide forecast for Cairns

SatSunMonTueWedThuFri
  • High 1:08am
    (2.38m)
  • Low 8:02am
    (1.1m)
  • High 2:30pm
    (1.99m)
  • Low 8:05pm
    (1.38m)
  • High 2:25am
    (2.15m)
  • Low 9:51am
    (1.03m)
  • High 4:44pm
    (2.18m)
  • Low 10:50pm
    (1.41m)
  • High 4:25am
    (2.03m)
  • Low 11:00am
    (0.88m)
  • High 5:50pm
    (2.43m)
  • Low 12:04am
    (1.29m)
  • High 5:34am
    (2.01m)
  • Low 11:51am
    (0.71m)
  • High 6:41pm
    (2.66m)
  • Low 1:00am
    (1.18m)
  • High 6:25am
    (2.02m)
  • Low 12:34pm
    (0.56m)
  • High 7:24pm
    (2.84m)
  • Low 1:45am
    (1.08m)
  • High 7:07am
    (2.03m)
  • Low 1:12pm
    (0.45m)
  • High 8:02pm
    (2.94m)
  • Low 2:23am
    (1.03m)
  • High 7:43am
    (2.05m)
  • Low 1:47pm
    (0.39m)
  • High 8:36pm
    (2.98m)
7 day tide times for Cairns

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