31.3 °C (88.3 °F)warmest sea: Dubai
195places with open sea within 30 km, all ranked
23.7 °C (74.7 °F)warmest in Europe: Nicosia
2 November 2026date of the satellite analysis
The 15 warmest seas among our guide cities and capitalssatellite analysis
Sea surface temperature at the nearest open-water point of NOAA's 0.25-degree satellite grid (cells about 25 km across) within 30 km of the place. The value is the daily analysis for 2 November 2026, the newest NOAA had published when this page was built. It describes the open water of that cell, not the water at a particular beach.
| Place | Country | Sea surface temperature | Grid point from the city centre | Analysis date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) | 19 km (12 mi) | |
| 2 Doha | Qatar | 31.1 °C (87.9 °F) | 14 km (9 mi) | |
| 3 Penang | Malaysia | 30.8 °C (87.4 °F) | 14 km (9 mi) | |
| 4 Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | 30.8 °C (87.4 °F) | 19 km (12 mi) | |
| 5 Bandar Seri Begawan | Brunei | 30.7 °C (87.2 °F) | 21 km (13 mi) | |
| 6 Krabi | Thailand | 30.5 °C (86.9 °F) | 22 km (14 mi) | |
| 7 Manama | Bahrain | 30.5 °C (86.8 °F) | 12 km (8 mi) | |
| 8 Yaren | Nauru | 30.5 °C (86.8 °F) | 10 km (6 mi) | |
| 9 Manuel Antonio | Costa Rica | 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) | 5 km (3 mi) | |
| 10 Tarawa | Kiribati | 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) | 12 km (8 mi) | |
| 11 Djibouti | Djibouti | 30.3 °C (86.5 °F) | 5 km (3 mi) | |
| 12 Bissau | Guinea-Bissau | 30.3 °C (86.5 °F) | 27 km (17 mi) | |
| 13 Phuket | Thailand | 30.3 °C (86.5 °F) | 26 km (16 mi) | |
| 14 Ngerulmud | Palau | 30.2 °C (86.4 °F) | 14 km (9 mi) | |
| 15 Port-au-Prince | Haiti | 30.2 °C (86.4 °F) | 10 km (6 mi) |
Today's picture
Of the 195 ranked places, 91 have a sea surface of 28 °C (82 °F) or warmer, 123 of 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer and 16 are below 15 °C (59 °F). The coolest ranked sea is at Grytviken, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (1.2 °C (34.1 °F)). Sea temperature moves slowly from one day to the next compared with air temperature, so the order near the top changes more with the analysis date than with the time you read this.
Warmest seas in Europe
The same ranking cut to European countries (the countries are listed on the Europe beach weather page), because many trips are planned around Mediterranean, Atlantic or Black Sea water. Several of these are capitals or islands where the sea is a short drive away, so check the distance column.
| Place | Country | Sea surface temperature | Grid point from the city centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nicosia | Cyprus | 23.7 °C (74.7 °F) | 23 km (14 mi) |
| 2 Valletta, Malta | Malta | 22.7 °C (72.9 °F) | 10 km (6 mi) |
| 3 Mallorca | Spain | 22.3 °C (72.1 °F) | 22 km (13 mi) |
| 4 Palermo | Italy | 22.1 °C (71.8 °F) | 1 km (1 mi) |
| 5 Barcelona | Spain | 22.0 °C (71.6 °F) | 18 km (11 mi) |
| 6 Ibiza | Spain | 22.0 °C (71.5 °F) | 6 km (4 mi) |
| 7 Valencia | Spain | 21.7 °C (71.0 °F) | 24 km (15 mi) |
| 8 Crete | Greece | 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) | 5 km (3 mi) |
How this ranking is calculated
The method in plain English
- The data. NOAA's daily Optimum Interpolation SST combines satellite measurements with ship and buoy data on a regular 0.25-degree grid. We use the preliminary near-real-time version, so the newest day is usually one to two days behind today.
- Which places. Every Voyaggora guide city and the capital of every country and territory with a Travel Live page, 361 in all. A place is ranked only if the centre of an open-water grid cell lies within 30 km of it. Inland places, and places on the Great Lakes (lake cells, not sea), are left out, so this is not a ranking of every beach.
- The number. The temperature of the nearest open-water cell, to a tenth of a degree. Fahrenheit is °C × 9/5 + 32. Near the coast a 25 km cell can be warmer or colder than a bay, lagoon or river mouth.
What to check before you swim
- A warm sea says nothing about waves, currents, water quality or wildlife. Follow the local lifeguards, flags and the official beach and marine warnings of the country.
- Warm water can bring coral bleaching stress in reef areas and seaweed in the Caribbean; the guide pages for places with a NOAA Coral Reef Watch or sargassum feed show those readings.
- Check the Travel Live country page for official advisories and live feeds before you book.
Quick answers
- Where is the warmest sea in the world today?
- Among the 195 places we rank, the warmest sea surface is 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) at Dubai (United Arab Emirates), in NOAA's analysis of 2 November 2026. The ranking covers only our guide cities and capitals within 30 km of open water, so warmer water may exist elsewhere.
- What is the warmest sea in Europe today?
- The warmest European place we rank is Nicosia (Cyprus) at 23.7 °C (74.7 °F) on 2 November 2026, with the nearest open-water grid point 23 km (14 mi) from the city centre.
- Is a warm sea safe to swim in?
- The temperature alone cannot say. This page ranks only temperature. Whether it is safe to swim depends on conditions that need local, official information such as beach flags, water-quality notices and marine warnings. The official local source governs.
- How accurate is the sea temperature shown here?
- It is NOAA's satellite-based daily analysis on a 0.25-degree grid, so it is an average for roughly 25 km of open water. The date shown is the analysis date, which lags today by about one to two days. Beaches, bays and lagoons can differ from the open sea.
- Why is my favourite beach not in the list?
- We rank Voyaggora guide cities and capitals only, and only those with open water within 30 km. A resort town that is not a guide city or capital does not appear. Inland places do not appear either.
Sources and credits
- NOAA Optimum Interpolation SST v2.1 (AVHRR only, preliminary) (NOAA NCEI; free to use and redistribute, not intended for legal use), served by NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP. Acknowledgement: data from NOAA NCEI, provided via NOAA CoastWatch.
- Place data and links: Voyaggora guide cities and Travel Live country pages. The official source governs; this page gives no swimming advice.