Salty Forecast

Space Coast

Cocoa Beach Water Temperature

The Cocoa Beach Pier, the surf, and the Banana River behind it.

Sea-surface temperature

Warm
78°F25°C

Holding steady · last two weeks

That is about 4°F warmer than average for this time of year, and holding steady over the last two weeks. The November average here is 74°F.

Today 78°FNovember average 74°FTypical November 70–77°F

Updated Saturday, November 7 — sea-surface temperature modeled for Cocoa Beach by Open-Meteo.

Out in the open Gulf, NOAA buoy 41113 — 5 miles offshore — is reading 78°F. Deep water offshore runs cooler than the shallows in summer and warmer in winter, so it won't match the beach.

For swimming

Warm

About as good as it gets — warm enough to stay in for hours without getting chilled.

For fishing

Peak season

Snook, redfish and tarpon are all active and feeding. The tarpon migration through the passes runs at the upper end of this range.

The last two weeks

Range 76–78°F▲ +1.0°F over 14 days
Daily average sea-surface temperature, °F.Daily low–highNovember average 74°F
Daily average sea-surface temperature, °F
DateAverage
Oct 2576.5°F
Oct 2676.3°F
Oct 2775.9°F
Oct 2876.1°F
Oct 2976.3°F
Oct 3076.5°F
Oct 3176.6°F
Nov 176.6°F
Nov 276.5°F
Nov 376.5°F
Nov 476.5°F
Nov 577.2°F
Nov 677.5°F
Nov 777.5°F

Cocoa Beach water temperature by month

Averaged from 3 years of daily sea-surface temperature (2023–2025). The range column is the coolest and warmest daily average recorded in that month over the period — a guide to how much any given year can differ, not a record high and low.

MonthRangeAverage
Jan
Bracing
60–70°F
66°F
Feb
Cool but comfortable
63–74°F
68°F
Mar
Cool but comfortable
64–76°F
71°F
Apr
Cool but comfortable
70–78°F
74°F
May
Warm
76–84°F
79°F
Jun
Warm
74–85°F
81°F
Jul
Very warm
75–87°F
83°F
Aug
Very warm
83–87°F
85°F
Sep
Very warm
82–87°F
85°F
Oct
Warm
76–85°F
79°F
Novnow
Cool but comfortable
70–77°F
74°F
Dec
Cool but comfortable
65–73°F
69°F

Warmest

85°FAugust

Coolest

66°FJanuary

Warmest on average in August at 85°F; coolest in January at 66°F.

The water at Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach is Florida's east-coast surf town, and the Westgate pier reaching off the sand is the center of it — Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and pompano off the end, snook and whiting in the wash. Behind the barrier island, the Banana River's no-motor zone holds some of the biggest redfish and trout in the state for anglers willing to pole or paddle in.

the Atlantic & the pier

What moves the water temperature here

The Gulf shelf off this coast is shallow, which is why the water swings so much more between summer and winter than open ocean at the same latitude does. Shallow water heats fast and gives that heat up fast: a single strong winter cold front can pull the inshore bays several degrees down in a couple of days, while the beaches a mile offshore barely move. Wind direction matters too — a sustained offshore breeze can pull cooler water up from below and drop the beach temperature noticeably in a morning.

Inshore bays, canals and flats run warmer than the beach through the summer and colder through the winter, for the same reason. The reading above is for the open water at Cocoa Beach; expect the back bays to be a few degrees either side of it depending on the season.

Common questions

What is the water temperature at Cocoa Beach right now?
The water at Cocoa Beach is currently about 78°F (25°C). The November average here is 74°F.
Is the water warm enough to swim at Cocoa Beach in November?
November averages 74°F at Cocoa Beach, which most people would call cool but comfortable. Refreshing rather than cold — comfortable once you're past the first minute.
When is the water warmest at Cocoa Beach?
August is the warmest month on average at 85°F, and January the coolest at 66°F. 6 months of the year average 75°F or above.
Why does the water temperature change so quickly here?
The Gulf shelf off this coast is shallow, so it heats and cools far faster than deep open ocean. A strong winter cold front can pull the inshore water down several degrees in a couple of days, and a sustained offshore wind can drop beach temperatures in a single morning by pulling cooler water up from below.

More for Cocoa Beach

Water temperature nearby