Today's Western Head Reef sea temperature is 8.0 °C
(Slightly cooler than normal)
| Mean: | 8.8 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 7.5 °C to 11.4 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 10 Jun (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.
Sunny with deceptively warm air temperatures at Western Head Reef, yet the sea remains very cold (8 °C). Despite the weather (windchill 21 °C), surfers will need a quality winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.
 Map of current Canada Surface Water Temperatures (based on measurements from oceanographic satellites) |  Map of current Canada Sea Water Temperature Anomalies (compared with long term averages at this time of year) |
click thumbnails to expand
Below is a graph of Historical Sea Surface Temperature for Western Head Reef. This has been derived from analysis of two decades of oceanographic satellite measurements of nearby open water. We have calculated the average water temperature variation around the year as well as the extremes that have been observed on each date.
All of the graphs for the surf breaks presented on Surf-Forecast.com are on the same scale to enable comparison between locations around the world.
Western Head Reef sea temperatures peak in the range 14 to 18°C (57 to 64°F) on around the 15th of August and are at their coldest on about the 22nd of February, in the range 0 to 3°C (32 to 37°F). The maximum seasonal sea temperatures at Western Head Reef in mid August lend themselves to a 4/3mm wetsuit or a 3/2mm suit and 3mm neoprene boots. The coldest sea temperatures at Western Head Reef mean that you will need a flexible 6/5/4mm wetsuit or a well fitting 5/4mm wetsuit with gloves and 5mm neoprene booties and a hood to surf here in the second half of February.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Western Head Reef can vary by several degrees compared with these open water averages. This is especially true after heavy rain, close to river mouths or after long periods of strong offshore winds. Offshore winds cause colder deep water to replace surface water that has been warmed by the sun. Air temperature, wind-chill and sunshine should also be considered before deciding on the kind of wetsuit needed to stay warm when surfing at Western Head Reef. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.
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