Diving in San Diego by month: water temperature, visibility and what to wear
Fall is the sweet spot: Scripps Pier water averages about 64°F in October and 61°F in November, warmer than spring, and visibility is steadier than during the April–May upwelling. Wear a 7mm wetsuit and hood anyway; it's colder at depth.
- October water
- About 64°F
- Coldest
- 57°F
- Typical visibility
- 10–20 ft
- Wetsuit
- 6–7mm + hood
Scripps Pier average
February
La Jolla shore dives
What locals wear year-round
The short version
- Scripps Pier averages 57°F in February and 68°F in August; October is about 64°F (NODC data via Current Results).
- Spring upwelling in April and May brings cold, nutrient-rich water and often murkier visibility.
- Typical La Jolla shore visibility is 10 to 20 feet, from about 2 feet on bad days to 30 or 40 on great ones (Divebums).
- Locals wear 6 to 7mm wetsuits with a hood year-round; summer surface water can hide a thermocline in the 50s.
- 2026 is unusual: Scripps Pier logged 42 daily record highs by mid-August, with a strong El Niño expected.
San Diego's ocean is colder than its weather suggests, and the coldest water isn't in winter alone: spring upwelling can chill and cloud the coast just as the air warms up. Here's what each month is like underwater, using the century-long Scripps Pier record, and what to wear.
Water temperature by month
Average surface water temperature at Scripps Pier, La Jolla
Source: Current Results, from the NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center's coastal water temperature guide. Surface readings; it's colder at depth.
Read it with one caution: these are surface numbers. Summer brings a thermocline, a sharp layer where warm surface water sits on much colder water below. Divebums notes summer surface water in the high 60s to low 70s while winter water at depth can drop to the low 50s, occasionally 49°F.
The diving year in La Jolla
Seasons from Scripps Pier averages, Scripps oceanographer Art Miller (upwelling), CDFW (lobster) and Everyday California (leopard sharks). Patterns, not guarantees.
Visibility: what to expect
Divebums, the long-running local dive site, puts typical La Jolla shore visibility at 10 to 20 feet, with a range from about 2 feet to 30 or 40. Late spring and early summer plankton blooms can make the top layer murky while it's clearer below. Sources disagree on the best season: PADI calls winter the clearest (30 to 50 feet), while fall is often the most stable. Big swells and rain runoff wreck visibility in any month, so check the surf report the morning of your dive.
What to wear
| Season | Surface water | Typical setup |
|---|---|---|
| Dec–Mar | 57–59°F | 7mm wetsuit, hood and gloves, or a drysuit |
| Apr–Jun | 60–64°F, cold upwelling pulses | 7mm and hood |
| Jul–Sep | 66–68°F surface, colder below | 5 to 7mm; keep the hood for deeper dives |
| Oct–Nov | 61–64°F | 7mm and hood |
Divebums recommends 6 to 7mm plus a 5 to 6mm hood year-round. Cold tolerance varies; deeper and longer dives run colder.
For swimmers rather than divers, see when the water is warm enough without a wetsuit. For sites, see San Diego's best shore dives.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on October 20, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Nature runs on its own schedule: seasons shift with the weather and the ocean, so treat the timing here as typical, not guaranteed.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
Current Results / NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center · Checked October 20, 2026
Monthly Scripps Pier averages
- PrimaryShore Stations Program
Scripps Institution of Oceanography · Checked October 20, 2026
The Scripps Pier record since 1916
- BackgroundVisitor info: general conditions
Divebums · Checked October 20, 2026
Visibility range, thermocline, wetsuit advice
Surfrider San Diego · Checked October 20, 2026
April–May upwelling
Times of San Diego · August 25, 2026
42 record days; El Niño odds