Today's Western Head Reef sea temperature is 10.8 °C
(Slightly warmer than usual (0.5° above average))
| Mean: | 10.3 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Range: | 8.5 °C to 11.9 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics for 04 Nov (1981–2005) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.
The water temperature (10 °C) at Western Head Reef is quite cold. If the sun shines as forecast, it should feel warm enough to get away with a good sealed spring wetsuit but you won't overheat in a winter wetsuit, gloves boots and a hood. Effective windchill factor of (12 °C).
 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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