The sea temperature at Sanya Bay today is 29.1 °C (84 °F) – water as warm as a bath. The usual October average is 28.5 °C. The forecast for the next 3 days is 29 to 29.1 °C. Over the last 30 days the sea has cooled from 30.4 °C to 29.1 °C. Swimmable all year – the sea averages 23 °C or more in every month. Source: Sea Temp Map (seatempmap.com) – NASA MUR satellite data and the Copernicus Marine sea forecast.
| Month | Min | Avg | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23.0°C / 73.5°F | 23.7°C / 74.7°F | 24.5°C / 76.1°F |
| February | 22.4°C / 72.4°F | 23.5°C / 74.2°F | 24.2°C / 75.6°F |
| March | 23.8°C / 74.9°F | 24.5°C / 76.1°F | 25.0°C / 76.9°F |
| April | 26.0°C / 78.8°F | 26.6°C / 80.0°F | 27.4°C / 81.4°F |
| May | 28.3°C / 82.9°F | 28.8°C / 83.9°F | 29.2°C / 84.5°F |
| June | 29.7°C / 85.4°F | 29.9°C / 85.9°F | 30.4°C / 86.7°F |
| July | 29.3°C / 84.8°F | 29.7°C / 85.5°F | 29.9°C / 85.9°F |
| August | 29.3°C / 84.8°F | 29.8°C / 85.6°F | 30.3°C / 86.5°F |
| September | 29.2°C / 84.5°F | 29.7°C / 85.4°F | 30.1°C / 86.2°F |
| October | 28.1°C / 82.6°F | 28.5°C / 83.2°F | 28.8°C / 83.9°F |
| November | 26.6°C / 79.8°F | 26.9°C / 80.4°F | 27.2°C / 81.0°F |
| December | 24.9°C / 76.8°F | 25.3°C / 77.5°F | 25.8°C / 78.4°F |
| Month | Min | Avg | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18.9°C / 66.0°F | 20.6°C / 69.1°F | 22.5°C / 72.4°F |
| February | 20.1°C / 68.2°F | 21.7°C / 71.1°F | 23.2°C / 73.8°F |
| March | 22.4°C / 72.3°F | 23.8°C / 74.8°F | 25.0°C / 77.0°F |
| April | 24.8°C / 76.7°F | 26.0°C / 78.8°F | 27.0°C / 80.6°F |
| May | 26.6°C / 79.9°F | 27.8°C / 82.0°F | 28.7°C / 83.6°F |
| June | 27.6°C / 81.6°F | 28.7°C / 83.7°F | 29.6°C / 85.4°F |
| July | 27.2°C / 81.0°F | 28.4°C / 83.1°F | 29.3°C / 84.7°F |
| August | 27.0°C / 80.6°F | 28.3°C / 83.0°F | 29.3°C / 84.7°F |
| September | 26.4°C / 79.5°F | 27.7°C / 81.8°F | 28.5°C / 83.4°F |
| October | 25.0°C / 76.9°F | 26.2°C / 79.2°F | 27.2°C / 81.0°F |
| November | 22.9°C / 73.2°F | 24.5°C / 76.1°F | 25.9°C / 78.7°F |
| December | 20.0°C / 67.9°F | 21.7°C / 71.0°F | 23.4°C / 74.1°F |
5-year averages (2021–2025). Min/Max are typical daily lows and highs, not record extremes. (Copernicus ERA5)
Sanya Bay holidays
Sanya is a city on the southern tip of Hainan Island, China's tropical south, known for a string of bays lined with resort hotels. The city beach on Sanya Bay faces west towards the sunset, and bigger resort areas lie along the bays to the east.
Beaches
Sanya Bay has a long city beach with a seafront park, looking out to the man-made Phoenix Island. Dadonghai, a short hop east over the Luhuitou peninsula, is a busy bay in town with restaurants and hotels right behind the sand. Yalong Bay, farther east, has a long crescent of fine sand and clear water in front of international resorts, and Haitang Bay, to the north-east, has newer resorts and a large duty-free shopping complex. The busier bays have marked swimming areas, and jet skis and parasailing are offered from the beach. The sea temperature on this page is measured in Sanya Bay, just off Phoenix Island.
Things to do
Luhuitou Park, on a hill between Sanya Bay and Dadonghai, gives views over the city and both bays. West of the city, the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone has Buddhist temples and a 108 m statue of Guanyin standing in the sea, and Tianya Haijiao is a coastal park of large granite boulders. Wuzhizhou Island, reached by boat from Haitang Bay, is used for diving and snorkelling, and the Yanoda rainforest park lies in the hills north of the city. In the evening, Sanya's seafood markets let you pick fish and shellfish at a stall and have them cooked at a restaurant nearby.
Weather and best time to visit
At Sanya Bay the sea stays above 23 °C / 73 °F all year, even in the coolest month.
Sanya is warm all year. The dry months from roughly November to April are the most comfortable and also the busiest, especially around Chinese New Year, when prices rise. Summer is hot, humid and wetter, and from about June to October typhoons can bring strong wind and heavy rain.
Hotels and where to stay
Dadonghai and Sanya Bay put hotels close to the city's restaurants and shops. Yalong Bay and Haitang Bay are self-contained resort areas, quieter but a longer ride from the centre.
Signature hotels: Atlantis Sanya (Haitang Bay) · Mandarin Oriental, Sanya (Dadonghai)
Airport and getting there
Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX) lies close to Sanya Bay, a short drive from the city centre, with flights across China and some international routes. A high-speed railway runs around Hainan, linking Sanya with Haikou, the island's capital, and ferries connect Haikou with the mainland. Within Sanya, taxis and ride-hailing apps are the usual way to get between the bays.