- Temperature
- Feels like
- Rain
- Wind
- Sea water
- Waves
- Updated
Sea water: 18.4°C, practically unchanged all week
Waves: 0.8m
At 18.4 °C the water in Quarteira is fresh. Fine for a dip, but the first minute bites.
Sunrise: 06:59 · Sunset: 20:07 · Day length: 13h 7m
| Day | Sea water | Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 28/08 | 18.4 °C | 0.8 m |
| Saturday 29/08 | 18.2 °C | 0.7 m |
| Sunday 30/08 | 18.1 °C | 0.6 m |
| Monday 31/08 | 18.0 °C | 0.7 m |
| Tuesday 01/09 | 17.9 °C | 0.7 m |
| Wednesday 02/09 | 18.0 °C | 0.6 m |
| Thursday 03/09 | 18.1 °C | 0.6 m |
| Month | Average water |
|---|---|
| January | 16.6 °C |
| February | 16.0 °C |
| March | 15.6 °C |
| April | 16.7 °C |
| May | 16.8 °C |
| June | 18.6 °C |
| July | 18.5 °C |
| August | 18.9 °C |
| September | 17.7 °C |
| October | 18.9 °C |
| November | 17.9 °C |
| December | 16.8 °C |
Monthly averages for 2022–2025.
This page shows the water temperature at Quarteira today and over the next seven days, so you can pick the best beach day before you go.
Sea temperature moves much more slowly than air temperature. A hot afternoon does not warm the ocean, and a windy day can cool it fast. Checking the water itself is the only reliable way to know what to expect.
Quarteira lies in the central Algarve, a fishing town turned resort with a long promenade and wide south-facing sand running toward Vilamoura. Facing due south and sheltered from the northerly wind, it gets one of the milder stretches of mainland water, around 19 °C in August and warmer again in September. The sand shelves gently, so the shallows close to shore often feel warmer than the open water. Calm days are the rule rather than the exception here.
The water is warmest in August, averaging 18.9 °C, and coldest in March at 15.6 °C. The Algarve peaks in late summer, well after the hottest weather on land, and September usually beats June comfortably.
The ocean gains and loses heat far more slowly than land, so it runs months behind the seasons. On top of that, the summer northerly wind pushes surface water offshore and draws cold deep water up in its place, which is why a heatwave on land so often coincides with a colder sea.
This is straightforward beach territory: long flat sand, calm water and easy swimming for most of the summer. Paddleboards and pedalos work the shallows, jet skis and parasails operate in high season, and the marina next door at Vilamoura sends out coastal cruises and dolphin trips. Between swims, the daily fish market and the promenade fill the rest of the day.