While the North Sea is freezing in December, elsewhere the sea is still warm enough to swim. In Lombok, the water averages 29.7 °C (85 °F) in December – with air temperatures around 31 °C (88 °F).
This ranking shows the destinations with the warmest sea water in December – limited to places where the water, at 23 °C (73 °F) or more, is genuinely swimmable. Almost all are tropical and near-equatorial destinations, plus Southern-Hemisphere countries where Christmas falls in midsummer.
| # | Destination | Sea temp (Dec) | Avg high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LombokIndonesia | 29.7 (85) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 2 | BaliIndonesia | 29.4 (85) °C (°F) | 31 (87) °C (°F) |
| 3 | Australia (Cairns)Australia | 29.0 (84) °C (°F) | 31 (89) °C (°F) |
| 4 | FijiFiji | 28.9 (84) °C (°F) | 31 (87) °C (°F) |
| 5 | ZanzibarTanzania | 28.9 (84) °C (°F) | 32 (89) °C (°F) |
| 6 | SingaporeSingapore | 28.8 (84) °C (°F) | 30 (87) °C (°F) |
| 7 | MaldivesMaldives | 28.7 (84) °C (°F) | 31 (87) °C (°F) |
| 8 | SeychellesSeychelles | 28.6 (83) °C (°F) | 30 (86) °C (°F) |
| 9 | Thailand (Khao Lak)Thailand | 28.5 (83) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 10 | Thailand (Krabi)Thailand | 28.4 (83) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 11 | Thailand (Phuket)Thailand | 28.4 (83) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 12 | Philippines (Cebu)Philippines | 28.3 (83) °C (°F) | 30 (86) °C (°F) |
| 13 | Cambodia (Sihanoukville)Cambodia | 28.2 (83) °C (°F) | 30 (87) °C (°F) |
| 14 | India (Goa)India | 28.2 (83) °C (°F) | 32 (90) °C (°F) |
| 15 | Sri LankaSri Lanka | 28.2 (83) °C (°F) | 31 (87) °C (°F) |
| 16 | Colombia (Cartagena)Colombia | 28.1 (83) °C (°F) | 32 (89) °C (°F) |
| 17 | Philippines (Boracay)Philippines | 28.1 (83) °C (°F) | 29 (85) °C (°F) |
| 18 | JamaicaJamaica | 28.0 (82) °C (°F) | 29 (85) °C (°F) |
Averages from 20 years of climate data (2005–2025). About the methodology