The vision of a warm, green Italy has gotten me through the bleakness of winter. Now, as I pack for our trip, I keep looking at my swimsuit and wondering if I would actually go into the water while in Italy. While I love sitting on a beach, I'm usually not tempted to go in unless the water is, well, Hawaii-like. I'm not a big swimmer but I do like a splash and a bob. We'll be on the Amalfi Coast towards the end of May. Historically, it looks like the water temperature increases consistently into June and can hover near the 20C comfort zone in May. Climate change makes everything weird and less predictable. Cloud cover and wind can make a big difference in how pleasant it really is. I've been seduced by pictures of blue seas and sunny sands. Should I expect more Monterey Bay or Tampa Bay at that time?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16168 posts
Since you mentioned it, I go to Hawaii pretty much every year in January, often for New Year’s Eve, and I would say that the sea water in the Amalfi coast in late May is about the same temperature as the ocean water in Hawaii in January. Therefore kind of cold when you first get in, but very bearable after the initial freeze. Definitely nowhere as cold as the Monterey Bay where I don’t resist more than 10 seconds, even in August.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
We went in the Med every day for a week on several vacations in July in Sorrento and Capri and it was cold but not unpleasant, especially because it was in the 80s-90s outside and we wanted to cool off. I’m not sure how pleasant it would be in May but worth a try!
Posted by
Vignola, Modena, Italy
564 posts
Mediterranean is a closed sea, so warmer than an ocean. If warm "enough" is a personal point of view. We often see northern Europe tourists take a bath in the sea in Rimini (northern Italy) when the water is too cold for Italians. May is probably unpredictable: in my opinion if will be sunny is a very pleasant swim in the sea of Naples, only a little chilly when you enter.
Posted by
Moncton NB
1137 posts
Can't speak specifically for Amalfi, but we swam in the Santorini caldera (further south) in July (later) and it was brisk but enjoyable once you're in. Locals said it doesn't get warm until late August/September.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, USA
295 posts
Well, it was in the 50s and high 60s while we were in Cinque Terre last week and my daughters were comfortable wading... the sun was bright.
There was an elderly gent who stripped and ran in in his skivvies, then ran out, ripped off the skivvies and put on his clothes, lol.
Posted by
5174 posts
I have swam in late May, but only rarely. It might be warm enough to sunbathe, but based on your own preference for water temp, unlikely.
If you’ll be hiking to any beaches, that is usually when I’m warm enough to take a bracing dip.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Don’t be tempted by pictures. Most of the beaches on the Amalfi coast are mostly pebbles, not sand.
Water shoes are recommended.
Posted by
Kansas, United States
1082 posts
Agree with Gerri, the pebbles hurt your feet when you walk, I learned this the hard way! Now, I pack a pair of diver booties with me when I plan on visiting beaches around the Mediterranean.