Is the ocean water still warm enough to swim in early September? If this is dependent on location, please advise on swimmable beaches.

Hi Sandy,

Thank you for reaching our on Ask An Islander. Yes, the water around PEI is swimmable into September. Depending on your tolerance, it could be swimmable until the ice comes in. I have friends that do that, but I find that far too cold.

The water temperature depends on a few things, location as you mentioned, wind direction, time of year, and so on.

The North shore will cool down quicker than the south shore for a couple of reasons. This side of the Island is impacted by northerly winds sooner and more rapidly. The south coast is generally shallower (and rockier), so it heats up faster when the sun is hot.

This year has been the hottest summer on record for PEI. The waters are, of course, reflecting that. I usually go to the North shore and hit up the PEI National Park beaches (Brackley is the closest) or Basin Head on the southwest shore. Basin Head is a good choice as it is protected from the north wind and it is a beautiful sandy beach like the National Park. There, the water has consistently been between 18°C and 23°C. I suspect it will remain in that ballpark for the next few weeks. As the air temperature drops, the water will feel warmer relative to that as well.

I go swimming at the north shore well into September. Also, in September, the beaches are not as busy (although they are never “jam-packed” as we have hundreds or kilometres of beaches to choose from).

I hope you have a fantastic time swimming when you visit our beautiful Island.

Cheers,

Rod