PacificSea

South China Sea

Southeast Asia, bordered by China, Vietnam, Philippines, and Borneo

A vast marginal sea with rich coral ecosystems and some of the busiest shipping lanes on Earth.

Max depth

5,559 m

Avg depth

1,212 m

Temperature

22 to 30 °C

Salinity

32-34 ppt

Wildlife

Marine life

Fish

GrouperSnapperTunaMackerel

Mammals

Indo-Pacific Humpback DolphinDugong

Corals

Spratly Islands Reef Corals

Invertebrates

Giant ClamHorseshoe Crab

Other wildlife

Green TurtleWhale Shark

Activities

Sports suitability

Diving

Fishing

Sailing

Surfing

Snorkelling

Seafloor

Rock & geology

Terrigenous mud & sand
Sediment carried from land by rivers
Limestone & carbonate sand
Built from reefs, shells and calcareous plankton
Basalt
Volcanic oceanic crust formed at mid-ocean ridges

Live conditions · Open-Meteo Marine

Marine weather right now

Updated 1:01:19 PM

Sea surface temp

30.1 °C

Wind

—

Wave height

1.1 m

Wave period

5.4 s

Visibility

—

Air temp

—

Current

0.25 m/s

Swell height

0.6 m

Readings interpolated at 12.00°, 114.00°. Winds, waves, currents and sea surface temperature via Open-Meteo.

Tides · next 48 hours

Global tide model (estimate)

Low tide

Fri 07:00 PM

0.65 m

High tide

Sat 01:00 AM

0.98 m

Low tide

Sat 06:00 AM

0.80 m

High tide

Sat 12:00 PM

1.25 m

Estimated from the Open-Meteo tide model, relative to mean sea level. Not for navigation.

Explorers' logbook

What explorers are saying about the South China Sea

Community stories and photos are visible to registered explorers only.