Today's Scarborough Beach sea temperature is 13.3 °C
(2.4° colder than average for this time of year)
| Mean: | 15.7 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 14.5 °C to 17.3 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 20 Sep (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.
The water temperature (13 °C) at Scarborough Beach is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (17 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.
 Map of current South Africa Surface Water Temperatures (based on measurements from oceanographic satellites) |  Map of current South Africa 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 Scarborough Beach. 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.
Scarborough Beach sea water temperatures peak in the range 19 to 22°C (66 to 72°F) on around the 29th of January and are at their lowest on about the 10th of August, in the range 14 to 17°C (57 to 63°F). Scarborough Beach sea water temperatures are highest in late January. Surfers should use a 2mm long sleeve shorty or a 3/2mm spring wetsuit if the wind is up. The lowest seasonal sea water temperatures at Scarborough Beach in early to mid August lend themselves to a 4/3mm wetsuit or a 3/2mm suit and 3mm neoprene boots.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Scarborough Beach 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 Scarborough Beach. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.
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