Today's Karaka Street sea temperature is 13.8 °C
(Slightly warmer than usual (0.5° above average))
| Mean: | 13.3 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 12.1 °C to 14.4 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 23 Sep (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood and gloves.
The water temperature (13 °C) at Karaka Street is quite cool. You will need a quality spring wetsuit, and maybe neoprene hood because it will be cloudy with an effective air temperature of just (6 °C). Gloves are a good idea, neoprene boots optional.
 Map of current New Zealand Surface Water Temperatures (based on measurements from oceanographic satellites) |  Map of current New Zealand 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 Karaka Street. 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.
Karaka Street water temperatures peak in the range 17 to 20°C (63 to 68°F) on around the 7th of February and are at their coldest on about the 27th of August, in the range 12 to 14°C (54 to 57°F). The maximum Karaka Street water temperatures in the first part of February require something like a 3/2mm fully sealed wetsuit. The coldest water temperatures at Karaka Street in the last days of August are ideally suited to a 4/3mm wetsuit + 3mm boots, although a 5/3mm wetsuit may be preferable for longer sessions and cold windy days.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Karaka Street 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 Karaka Street. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.
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