Fort De Soto Park water temperature by month
Swimmable from March through November.
Month by month
| Month | Typical | Feels |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | brisk |
| February | 66° | refreshing |
| March | 71° | refreshing |
| April | 75° | perfect |
| May | 81° | bath-warm |
| June | 86° | bath-warm |
| July | 88° | bath-warm |
| August | 89° | bath-warm |
| September | 86° | bath-warm |
| October | 80° | bath-warm |
| November | 74° | perfect |
| December | 67° | refreshing |
The year at a glance
The water right now
Typically about 80° in October — bath-warm.
from the wave buoy at the Egmont Channel entrance, about 13 miles away
bath-warm
Seaweed season
The Florida Gulf coast from the Big Bend down to Naples is mostly free of sargassum, all year, however much of it is out at sea.
This is the lab's own finding rather than a quiet season: it reports this stretch mostly free of sargassum whatever the amount floating out in the Gulf. The Panhandle, west of the Big Bend, is a different coast and is not covered by it.
This is a pattern, not a forecast. The lab that watches this says plainly that predicting seaweed on an individual beach is difficult or impossible — whether it comes ashore depends on winds, tides and currents nobody can call ahead. The bulletins track how much is out there and look about a month on.
From the Sargassum Watch System, the Optical Oceanography Lab at the USF College of Marine Science. Read the current bulletin for this month's outlook.
About this reading
The reading comes from the wave buoy at the Egmont Channel entrance, just off the coast.
Reading from the wave buoy at the Egmont Channel entrance, about 13 miles away.
Warm water says nothing about surf, rip currents, or bacteria — check local lifeguard flags and advisories.