Space Coast
Port Canaveral Water Temperature
Jetty Park, the Canaveral Bight, and a short run to blue water.
Sea-surface temperature
WarmHolding 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.
Updated Saturday, November 7 — sea-surface temperature modeled for Port Canaveral by Open-Meteo.
Out in the open Gulf, NOAA buoy 41113 — 4 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
| Date | Average |
|---|---|
| Oct 25 | 76.5°F |
| Oct 26 | 76.3°F |
| Oct 27 | 75.9°F |
| Oct 28 | 76.1°F |
| Oct 29 | 76.3°F |
| Oct 30 | 76.5°F |
| Oct 31 | 76.6°F |
| Nov 1 | 76.6°F |
| Nov 2 | 76.5°F |
| Nov 3 | 76.5°F |
| Nov 4 | 76.5°F |
| Nov 5 | 77.2°F |
| Nov 6 | 77.5°F |
| Nov 7 | 77.5°F |
Port Canaveral 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.
| Month | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
JanJanuary Bracing | 60–70°F | 66°F |
FebFebruary Cool but comfortable | 63–74°F | 68°F |
MarMarch Cool but comfortable | 64–76°F | 71°F |
AprApril Cool but comfortable | 70–78°F | 74°F |
MayMay Warm | 76–84°F | 79°F |
JunJune Warm | 74–85°F | 81°F |
JulJuly Very warm | 75–87°F | 83°F |
AugAugust Very warm | 83–87°F | 85°F |
SepSeptember Very warm | 82–87°F | 85°F |
OctOctober Warm | 76–85°F | 79°F |
NovNovembernow Cool but comfortable | 70–77°F | 74°F |
DecDecember 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 Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral packs an unusual amount into a small footprint: the Jetty Park pier and rocks hold redfish, snook, sheepshead, and tarpon; the Canaveral Bight just north is a famous cobia and king mackerel ground in spring; and the Gulf Stream edge is a shorter run from here than almost anywhere else on the coast. Rocket launches from the Cape occasionally close the water to boat traffic.
Canaveral Bight, the jetties & Jetty Park
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 Port Canaveral; 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 Port Canaveral right now?
- The water at Port Canaveral is currently about 78°F (25°C). The November average here is 74°F.
- Is the water warm enough to swim at Port Canaveral in November?
- November averages 74°F at Port Canaveral, 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 Port Canaveral?
- 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.