The long-chain diol index (LDI) is a relatively new proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) which has been rarely applied in upwelling regions. Here, we evaluated its application by comparison with other SST records obtained by commonly used proxies, i.e. the Mg/Ca ratio of the planktonic foraminifera species ₃₇ and Mg/Ca_G.ruber SST records revealed an increase of 0.6-3.4°C from the Last Glacial Maximum to the late Holocene with somewhat higher amplitude in the northern part of the Arabian Sea than compared to the western part. In contrast, the LDI SSTs did not reveal major changes during the last glacial-interglacial transition which was followed by a decreasing trend during the Holocene. The LGM vs the Holocene LDI SSTs ranged between -0.2 and -2.7°C. Particularly at one record, offshore Oman, the SST decrease from during the Holocene was high in amplitude, suggesting a potential cold bias, possibly related to changes in upwelling intensity during the Holocene. This indicates that care has to be taken when applying the LDI for annual mean SST reconstruction in upwelling regions.