Writer: Steve Dinnen
I like to take beach vacations. And when I do, I like to swim. I mean, swim for 30-40 minutes at a stretch, not just splash about in the surf. But I’m a Goldilocks swimmer, because I don’t like the water too cold, or too hot. I like it just right – around 78 degrees.
Right now the water temperature at Honolulu is perfect – 78.4 degrees. I know this from scanning www.seatemperature.org. Just when you thought the world had churned out all the websites it could ever use, along comes one that spits out the current and monthly average water temperature for darn near any beach in the world. What a great planning tool it is.
Two weeks ago I drove to south Texas, hoping to spend some time at South Padre Island. But the water in January is way too cold, just 67 degrees. So I jetted farther south, to Cancun, and its comfortable 80.1-degree water. I’m now back in Texas, where the water won’t hit my Goldilocks moment until May. This website lets you plan your vacay to whenever it suits you waterwise.
My business partner lives in Santa Cruz, California, and when I go there it’s all business, no swim. Right now it’s an icy 53.8 degrees there. Pretty to look at, cold to touch. There’s a reason all those surfers in California wear wet suits.
