Today's Plum Island sea temperature is 19.6 °C
(Normal for this time of year (within 0.0° of average))
| Mean: | 19.6 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 17.2 °C to 21.7 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 04 Aug (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.
Sunny with very warm air temperatures, feeling like 26 °C once we account for air movement. In contrast the sea remains relatively cold (19 °C). Surfers should wear a spring or summer wetsuit though no doubt some would wear less neoprene on such a warm day, no matter what temperature the sea is.
click thumbnails to expand
Below is a graph of Historical Sea Surface Temperature for Plum Island. 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.
Plum Island sea temperatures peak in the range 18 to 22°C (64 to 72°F) on around the 12th of August and are at their coldest on about the 1st of March, in the range 2 to 4°C (36 to 39°F). The maximum Plum Island sea temperatures in the second week of August require something like a 3/2mm fully sealed wetsuit. The coldest sea temperatures at Plum Island 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 at the beginning of March.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Plum Island 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 Plum Island. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.


