Today's Dunedin - St Clair sea temperature is 10.7 °C
(1.9° warmer than normal for this time of year)
| Mean: | 8.8 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 7.3 °C to 10.0 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 06 Aug (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.
Cold Dunedin - St Clair water temperature (10 °C) today. Despite the sunshine, we suggest wearing a thick winter wetsuit, and ideally a neoprene hood, gloves and boots too because of the windchill will make air temperatures feel close to freezing.
 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 Dunedin - St Clair. 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.
Dunedin - St Clair sea water temperatures peak in the range 12 to 15°C (54 to 59°F) on around the 10th of February and are at their minimum on about the 5th of August, in the range 7 to 10°C (45 to 50°F). The warmest sea water temperatures at Dunedin - St Clair in early to mid February 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. The minimum sea water temperatures at Dunedin - St Clair 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 August.
Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Dunedin - St Clair 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 Dunedin - St Clair. Refer to our detailed weather forecasts for this information.
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