McWay Cove sea temperature today: 17°C – beach water temperature, McWay Cove, United States
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United States · Big Sur
McWay Cove
Sea
17.0°C62.6°F
Air
–
UV
–
Get a wetsuit
⁦13–18°C⁩

Last updated ·

Today, September 13, the sea temperature at McWay Cove is 17 °C (63 °F). That is 3.1 °C warmer than the usual 13.9 °C in September. Rarely comfortable for swimming.

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Climate · monthly averages

Sea temperature by month

5-year averages (2021–2025). Min/Max are typical daily lows and highs, not record extremes.

Warmest in September (13.9°C). Coldest in May (10.3°C). Rarely comfortable for swimming.

5-year averages (2021–2025). Min/Max are typical daily lows and highs, not record extremes.
MonthSea · MinSea · AvgSea · MaxAir · MinAir · AvgAir · Max
January11.6°C12.0°C12.6°C8.6°C10.4°C12.5°C
February10.8°C11.5°C12.5°C7.8°C9.9°C12.1°C
March10.3°C10.8°C11.8°C7.8°C9.7°C11.6°C
April9.4°C10.3°C11.3°C8.3°C10.5°C12.5°C
May9.6°C10.3°C10.9°C9.3°C11.6°C13.6°C
June10.5°C11.0°C11.8°C11.2°C13.8°C15.8°C
July10.2°C11.3°C12.2°C12.5°C15.2°C17.3°C
August11.7°C12.6°C13.2°C13.3°C15.9°C18.1°C
September12.7°C13.9°C14.8°C13.8°C16.1°C18.2°C
October13.0°C13.7°C14.5°C12.3°C14.6°C16.8°C
November11.6°C12.9°C14.1°C10.0°C12.2°C14.2°C
December12.1°C13.0°C14.0°C9.4°C10.9°C12.6°C

About McWay Cove

The Big Sur coast turns on McWay Cove, where the 24-metre McWay Falls drops straight onto the sand as one of only two perennial tidefalls in California, viewable from a clifftop overlook in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Five kilometres north, Pfeiffer Beach is known for manganese-garnet purple sand and the Keyhole Rock arch; Sand Dollar Beach, the area's longest, stretches south. The Pacific peaks at 14-16 °C57-61 °F in August and September – swimming is not the point, with Monterey airport ninety minutes up Highway 1.

Frequently asked questions

Today, September 13, the sea at McWay Cove is 17 °C (63 °F)63 °F (17 °C) – cold, most people reach for a wetsuit. The usual September average is 13.9 °C57 °F.

No single number works for everyone, so the scale on this page is only a guide to how the water feels: below 13 °C55 °F icy, 13–18 °C55–64 °F cold, 18–23 °C64–73 °F refreshing, 23–28 °C73–82 °F pleasantly warm and above 28 °C82 °F like a bath. Right now the sea at McWay Cove is 17 °C63 °F.

In June the sea at McWay Cove (Big Sur, United States) averages 11 °C52 °F – cold-water swimmers only. It keeps warming until September, when it peaks at 13.9 °C57 °F.

In November the sea at McWay Cove (Big Sur, United States) still averages 12.9 °C55 °F – cold-water swimmers only. It peaks in September at 13.9 °C57 °F and cools slowly from there.