Sea temperature in May
In May, 101 of 211 coastal destinations have water of 20 °C or more. The warmest sea is at Koh Samui with 31 °C. In Europe, the water is warmest at Alanya (22 °C).
Sea temperature by country in May
Coolest to warmest coastal destination per country.
| Country | Sea temperature | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 31° | 2 |
| Thailand | 30–31° | 6 |
| Vietnam | 28–31° | 4 |
| India | 30° | 2 |
| Maldives | 30° | 1 |
| Philippines | 30° | 3 |
| Oman | 30° | 1 |
| Singapore | 30° | 1 |
| Seychelles | 29° | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 29° | 4 |
| Colombia | 29° | 1 |
| Costa Rica | 29° | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 29° | 2 |
| Barbados | 28° | 1 |
| Fiji | 28° | 1 |
| Indonesia | 28° | 1 |
| Jamaica | 28° | 1 |
| French Polynesia | 28° | 2 |
| Tanzania | 28° | 1 |
| Kenya | 28° | 2 |
| Qatar | 28° | 1 |
| Mexico | 22–28° | 5 |
| Aruba | 27° | 1 |
| Curaçao | 27° | 1 |
| Cuba | 27° | 2 |
| Dominican Republic | 27° | 2 |
| Mauritius | 27° | 1 |
| Puerto Rico | 27° | 1 |
| USA | 12–27° | 8 |
| Bahamas | 26° | 1 |
| Hong Kong | 26° | 1 |
| Egypt | 25–26° | 4 |
| Australia | 15–26° | 5 |
| Japan | 18–25° | 2 |
| Jordan | 24° | 1 |
| Israel | 22–24° | 2 |
| Brazil | 22–24° | 2 |
| South Africa | 15–24° | 2 |
| Cape Verde | 23° | 2 |
| Turkey | 16–22° | 12 |
| Cyprus | 20–21° | 4 |
| Tunisia | 19–21° | 4 |
| Spain | 16–21° | 21 |
| Greece | 18–20° | 16 |
| Portugal | 16–20° | 8 |
| Malta | 19° | 2 |
| Albania | 19° | 2 |
| Montenegro | 19° | 2 |
| Italy | 17–19° | 16 |
| Croatia | 17–19° | 8 |
| Monaco | 18° | 1 |
| Morocco | 18° | 2 |
| New Zealand | 18° | 1 |
| France | 16–18° | 7 |
| Argentina | 17° | 1 |
| Bulgaria | 16° | 2 |
| Namibia | 15° | 1 |
| Canada | 12° | 1 |
| Germany | 11–12° | 7 |
| Ireland | 11° | 1 |
| Denmark | 10–11° | 2 |
| Norway | 6–11° | 3 |
| Poland | 10° | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 10° | 1 |
| Sweden | 7° | 1 |
| Iceland | 7° | 1 |
| Finland | 6° | 1 |
From about 20 °C, the sea is comfortable for swimming.
Sea temperature in May: quick answers
Where is the sea warmest in May?
In May, the sea is warmest at Koh Samui (31 °C), Langkawi (Kuah) (31 °C) and Pattaya (31 °C).
Where can you swim in Europe in May?
In Europe, the sea is warmest at Alanya (22 °C), Santa Cruz de La Palma (21 °C) and Antalya (21 °C). 25 European destinations reach 20 °C or more in May.
Sea temperature, month by month
Sea temperature all yearWhere to go in May
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)