Seawater temperatures Greece

Offshore climate data on seawater surface temperatures are especially useful for planning sailing holidays in Greece (see the Greek cruising areas), or the adjacent Ionian, Carian and Lycian coasts of Turkey: swimming and snorkelling.

Maps of seawater surface temperatures of Greece

All temperatures are in degrees Celsius (°C) and are averages over a period of 1850 till 2006. These temperatures are seawater surface temperatures: and therefore below the surface it can be colder.

In the 12 monthly maps below, the Ionian, Aegean and Turkish coastal areas have been divided into squares. For each of the four quadrants per square an average temperature is given. Even when a temperature is printed on land it of course concerns only the wet area of that quadrant.

It is important to realise that this unique climate data is collected from ships well offshore, so invariably the inshore temperatures experienced at beaches will be higher, in shallow secluded bays / beaches even up to 2 degrees higher.

Conclusions

  • Lefkas (south Ionian) is 1 to 2 degrees °C warmer than Corfu (north Ionian) except during June and July when temperatures are more or less equal.
  • The warmest region throughout the year is the south-east Aegean: Kos, Rhodes, Bodrum and Marmaris. Except for June and July where also the Ionian, Saronic and Cyclades areas are as warm as the south-east Aegean.
  • The second half of February has the worst swimming conditions, and the second half of August has the highest seawater temperatures (~26 °C in the south-east Aegean). Remember: at the beach and in shallow anchorages the temperatures will be noticably higher!
  • The Northern Sporades, Thasos, Lesbos, Limnos, north-east greece (and north-west of Turkey) have the coldest temperatures: in August 2 or 3 degrees colder and in May almost 4 degrees colder than the Dodecanese.
  • The climate crisis has already pushed the start of the yacht charter season well into April. Soon also the first half of April will provide good sailing weather and pleasant swimming temperatures.

Further reading