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The Water Around Us

Typical water · NOAA monthly averages

Best beaches to visit in October

Well-loved U.S. beaches where the water usually averages 70°F or warmer in October. For what the water is doing today, see this week’s live picks.

  1. Number 1

    Siesta Beach

    Sarasota, Florida · ★ 4.8

    80°Faverage water in OctoberHurricane season

    Source: NOAA, Venice, FL, 14.7 mi

  2. Number 2

    Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach

    Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida · ★ 4.8

    82°Faverage water in OctoberHurricane season

    Source: NOAA, 8722670 - Lake Worth Pier, FL, 29.5 mi

  3. Number 3

    Kure Beach

    Kure Beach, North Carolina · ★ 4.8

    74°Faverage water in OctoberHurricane season

    Source: NOAA, Wrightsville Beach, NC, 16.8 mi

  4. Number 4

    Waikīkī Beach

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    81°Faverage water in October

    Source: NOAA, Honolulu, HI, 3.2 mi

  5. Number 5

    East Beach

    Galveston, Texas

    77°Faverage water in OctoberHurricane season

    Source: NOAA, Galveston Bay Entrance, North Jetty, TX, 2.5 mi

Hurricane season: on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts it runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10, per NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. Distant storms can bring rough surf and rip currents on sunny days, so check the forecast before you go.

How we pick

We start from U.S. beaches rated 4.3★ or higher across 200+ Google reviews, plus a short hand-picked list of typically calm Hawaii beaches that have no ratings in our data (280 have a NOAA station close enough to use). A beach makes a month’s list when its nearest station in the NOAA Coastal Water Temperature Guide averages 70°F or warmer that month — below that, sudden entry risks cold shock. Picks are ranked by a review-weighted rating, with at most two per state and one per station. Averages describe a typical year, not this one, and a station can sit a few miles offshore.