Malta sea temperature, month by month, with the records

Whether the sea is warm enough in Malta is a question with a numerical answer. The Met Office measures the sea surface temperature and compares it with the norm each month, so I’ve rebuilt the whole year from its notes. Here’s how I read it when deciding when to get in.

Malta’s sea, from the chill of March to the warmth of September

The sea always lags behind the air. In January it still holds some autumn warmth at 16.2°C (61°F), but it keeps cooling until it bottoms out in February and March at about 15.3°C (60°F). April barely moves (16.3°C), May reaches roughly 18.4°C and June jumps to 22°C (72°F). That’s why I treat Malta in May as the start of the season, with Blue Flag lifeguards from the 29th in 2026, and Malta in June as the first proper beach month.

From there it climbs all summer. July sits around 25°C, August around 26.7°C (80°F) and September holds 26.1°C, just as the air starts to ease. October keeps 24°C, November is around 21°C on the last published norm, and December drops to about 18°C. Put that next to the air averages and you’ll see that from October to March the water is milder than the street. Everything else about the two warmest-sea months, from holidays to village feasts, is in Malta in August and Malta in September.

When is the sea warm enough to swim?

For me, June to October without a second thought, plus the second half of May if you don’t feel the cold. In May 2022 the sea was 19.4°C, a degree above normal, and still cooler than the air. That contrast brought dense fog on the morning of 17 May that year.

My favourite month for a swim is October. The water is at 24°C, two degrees warmer than June, and the 2026 Blue Flag season lasted until 11 October. Back in 2023 Visit Malta was already saying the beach season stretches to mid or late October. If you want to fit that around the rest of your trip, see the best time to visit Malta.

Marine heatwaves and records

Recent summers have blown the averages. In August 2022 the sea averaged 29.1°C, 2.4°C above normal, during a marine heatwave across the Mediterranean. June 2025 reached 25.1°C, three degrees over its norm. And 2026 went further still. July averaged 28.2°C, and on 11 August the surface hit 31.1°C (88°F), a figure the Met Office had never recorded before. At the end of August it was still at 30°C.

I’m not telling you this to put you off. A sea that warm has two effects you’ll notice. It cools you less when you get out, and it pushes humidity up, which is why the Met Office expected a “feels like” temperature close to 46°C during the late-August 2026 heatwave. On days like that I’d swim early and find shade at midday.

The other side of the coin is a warm spring or autumn. In April 2024 the sea averaged 17.5°C, 1.2°C above its norm, and in December 2024 it was still at 20.5°C, 2.2°C warmer than usual after a mild autumn. If you’re a keen swimmer travelling in the shoulder season, those recent years suggest the norms err on the cool side, although I wouldn’t book around it.

Swimming in winter

It can be done, and some people do it. Visit Malta puts it plainly, saying sea bathing is possible well into the winter months. At 16°C the water isn’t warm, but it is warmer than the air around you. Bear two things in mind. Outside the Blue Flag season there are no lifeguards, and winter storms whip up very rough seas on exposed coasts. On 19 January 2026, under a red warning, the Met Office told people to keep away from the southern and eastern shores.

Where to swim and what to check first

Spain’s foreign ministry notes that rock dominates Malta’s coastline, with most sandy beaches on Gozo and in the northern half of the main island. On MTA-managed beaches, look at the flagpole. Purple warns of jellyfish, green signals calm water, red over yellow shows where lifeguards are on duty, and double red means nobody goes in. The same ministry flags three spots with a risk of falling rock, Kalanka, St Peter’s Pool and Għar Lapsi.

To choose a beach, start with the best beaches in Malta. If you like looking at the seabed, water above 22°C makes snorkelling in Malta properly enjoyable, and Malta weather has the rest of the climate, from air temperature to rain and wind.