Gulf of Mexico Water Temperatures

The below  data is from the National Oceanographic data center. For current water temperatures you can visit their site at http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/egof.html.

Depending on the weather, water temperatures can run 5 to 7 degrees cooler or warmer than the averages in the below tables.  Of course, the further south you go, the warmer the temperatures tend to be during the cooler months. This is clearly demonstrated by the table below where the average water temperature in Key West is almost 70 degrees Fahrenheit in January, while hundreds of miles to the north at Pensacola the water temperature is in the mid 50's.

See my Florida Beaches homepage for the current water temperature in the St. Pete Beach area.

The above temperatures are AVERAGE temperatures during a given month. Also consider that most official temperatures are not recorded at the beach, but by buoys floating offshore, so that the "official" temperatures you see on the weather reports or in the table above are usually a few degrees warmer than the actual beach water temperatures during the winter, and a few degrees cooler than the actual beach water temperatures in the summer. This is because the shallow waters on the beach change temperature more quickly in response to weather conditions than the offshore waters.

If you are seriously interested in the exact water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico you should visit the University of South Florida's Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System website, run by the College of Marine Science. This site has links to real-time data gathered from buoys, some from the COMPS system and others operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. Not every buoy transmits water temperature, but most do.

Here is a list of my favorite buoys providing coastal water temperatures on the Gulf Coast:

Pensacola buoy data and Gulf water temperature

Panama City Beach buoy data and Gulf water temperature

Egmont Key (in Tampa Bay) buoy data and Gulf water temperature

Venice, Florida buoy data and Gulf water temperature

Fort Myers buoy data and Gulf water temperature

Naples, Florida buoy data and Gulf water temperature

Key West buoy data and Gulf water temperature

What's Cold Water and What's Just Right?

People have a wide range of preferences and tolerances for water temperatures. Generally, anything above 75 can be enjoyable. Most people seem to prefer water temperatures of about 85 degrees for swimming. The Gulf of Mexico can get into the low 90's during July and August. This is too warm for a lot of people, but I love it. It doesn't cool you off much though. Often during the summer months the water is actually warmer than the air, since the sea breeze along the Gulf Coast keeps the air temperatures in the upper 80's while in Orlando it might be 98 degrees (or higher).

Here's an idea of what water temperatures mean to you

• 50 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit - look out for polar bears.

• 61 - 70  - Canadians only.

• 71 - 75  - southerners will start to wade in the water. Canadians and northerners will stay in all day.

• 76 - 80 - Nearly everyone will swim in these temperatures. 76 is a bit cool, but 80 is just about perfect for everyone.

• 81 - 86 - Perfect for a long refreshing swim. A quick dip will ward off overheating on a hot day.

• 86 - 91 - Very warm. Jump right in. Doesn't cool you off much.

• 92 and up - Like bath water. Perfect for Florida natives like me. Around sunset, the water is actually warmer than the air.