Not every summer sea is equally warm. In Qatar (Doha), the water reaches an average of 34.2 °C (94 °F) in July and August – with air temperatures around 41 °C (106 °F).
This ranking shows the destinations with the warmest sea water in the peak-summer months of July and August. The Gulf states lead the way, where the sea turns almost bath-warm – though at the cost of extreme heat on land. Tropical destinations and the warmest corners of the Mediterranean follow – useful when water temperature decides your beach holiday.
| # | Destination | Sea temp (Jul/Aug) | Avg high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar (Doha)Qatar | 34.2 (93) °C (°F) | 41 (106) °C (°F) |
| 2 | DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | 34.1 (93) °C (°F) | 42 (107) °C (°F) |
| 3 | Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates | 34.0 (93) °C (°F) | 43 (109) °C (°F) |
| 4 | Oman (Muscat)Oman | 31.4 (89) °C (°F) | 36 (97) °C (°F) |
| 5 | Mexico (Puerto Vallarta)Mexico | 30.7 (87) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 6 | Florida (Miami)USA | 30.3 (86) °C (°F) | 32 (90) °C (°F) |
| 7 | BahamasBahamas | 30.1 (86) °C (°F) | 33 (91) °C (°F) |
| 8 | Cuba (Varadero)Cuba | 30.0 (86) °C (°F) | 32 (89) °C (°F) |
| 9 | Hong KongHong Kong | 29.8 (86) °C (°F) | 32 (90) °C (°F) |
| 10 | Egypt (Marsa Alam)Egypt | 29.7 (85) °C (°F) | 36 (96) °C (°F) |
| 11 | Thailand (Krabi)Thailand | 29.6 (85) °C (°F) | 31 (89) °C (°F) |
| 12 | Thailand (Phuket)Thailand | 29.6 (85) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 13 | Vietnam (Da Nang)Vietnam | 29.6 (85) °C (°F) | 34 (94) °C (°F) |
| 14 | Philippines (Boracay)Philippines | 29.5 (85) °C (°F) | 30 (86) °C (°F) |
| 15 | Cuba (Havana)Cuba | 29.5 (85) °C (°F) | 32 (90) °C (°F) |
| 16 | Cuba (Santiago de Cuba)Cuba | 29.4 (85) °C (°F) | 32 (89) °C (°F) |
| 17 | Israel (Tel Aviv)Israel | 29.4 (85) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
| 18 | SingaporeSingapore | 29.4 (85) °C (°F) | 31 (88) °C (°F) |
Averages from 20 years of climate data (2005–2025). About the methodology