The survival and growth of E. coli strains were studied at different temperatures of sea water. The bacterial number for serotypes 055 and 078 was found to increase with a decrease in temperatue of sea water to 5 degrees C. The bacteria of serotype 015 did not grow in sea water whereas those of serotype 0115 were capable of growth only at 20 and 15 degrees C. The bacteria were able to survive from 4 to 98 days depending on the temperature of water and the strain of E. coli.