Where to Look for Ocean Temperature and Conditions?

[Jhathaway]

Clearly, though, Magic Seaweed is oriented toward surf and winds/waves.....like Wind Guru. it is not primarily a SST site.

I completely agree. It's only a tool to help us interpret the data provided by resources like NOAA and should be used alongside other tools including personal site-specific knowledge.

Also sites are typically named after surf breaks so the map may be the easiest way to find specific information.

 

[SubNeo]

77 seems too warm, especially at surface. I was expecting 72.

 

[Jhathaway]

77 seems too warm, especially at surface. I was expecting 72.

Pretty similar to the data that was given before, I don't know what to tell ya.
"Example. for West Palm Beach today:
The NOAA data (linked above by ScubaDada) gives 75.2 deg F. This is measured at 1.6m below mean-lowest-low-water. It is on a pier, not on a floating buoy.
seatemperature.info gives 77.7
seatemperature.org gives 77.9"

 

[Byrdie]

Find the NOAA Buoys for your area. They only have surface temp but usually have wave size and direction as well. In addition there usually is a local marine forecast. Take note of where they are located-in shore or off shore

National Data Buoy Center

The National Data Buoy Center's home page. The premier source of meteorological and oceanographic measurements for the marine environment.

www.ndbc.noaa.gov

 

[tursiops]

Find the NOAA Buoys for your area. They only have surface temp but usually have wave size and direction as well. In addition there usually is a local marine forecast. Take note of where they are located-in shore or off shore

National Data Buoy Center

The National Data Buoy Center's home page. The premier source of meteorological and oceanographic measurements for the marine environment.

www.ndbc.noaa.gov

Note that only a few of the NOAA sites listed are actually buoys; the rest are mounted on piers and platforms. The former might give wave info; the latter no. Many other observing resources ar also listed, not just NOAA data.

 

[tursiops]

dupe

 

[TMHeimer]

I just google the place and "ocean temp." or something like that. I have the Halifax Harbour temp. bookmarked, but as tursiops says, what's measured by the buoy can at times differ much from my analog temp. gauge. Another factor when shore diving is wind direction-- onshore wind can mean rougher waves, warmer water. Offshore wind can mean the warmer top layer is blow seaward and is replaced by colder water from below-- yet calmer waves.
Best thing is probably plan for the coldest possibility.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

77 seems too warm, especially at surface. I was expecting 72.

77 seems accurate to me. Water temps in Palm Beach were 76–77 last Sunday and Monday. I was diving both south and north of the Lake Worth inlet.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I use magic seaweed, it normally has a fairly accurate estimate of surface temp, and once you know a site pretty well that paired with the past and current swell info can give you a pretty good idea of what you're going to be diving in.
View attachment 699539

I also use magic seaweed as one source of info. But I do have a paid subscription.

I still rely primarily on first-hand experience from divers reported over the prior few days.

 

[clownfishsydney]

In Australia the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) have maps showing ocean water temperature. At the moment, off Sydney they are saying the temperature is in the order of 23 to 24 C. When I dived yesterday, the water temperature for all but the top 2 metres was 14C! For you non-metric people (US and North Korea), that is 73 to 75F compared to 57F.

Therefore, unless you are getting temperatures from divers, I would take anything on the internet with a grain of salt.