The Tara Oceans Expedition (2009-2013) sampled the world oceans on board a 36 m long schooner, collecting environmental data and organisms from viruses to planktonic metazoans for later analyses using modern sequencing and state-of-the-art imaging technologies. Tara Oceans Data are particularly suited to study the genetic, morphological and functional diversity of plankton. During the entire expedition (2009-2013), underway measurements were obtained from a meteorological station (BATOS), a thermosalinograph (TSG, SBE 45), a Fast Repetition Rate Flurometer (FRRF, LIFT-FRR01), and a spectrophotometer (WETLabs AC-S). In 2013 underway measurements were enhanced by adding a Photosynthetically Available Radiation (PAR) sensor (QCP2350, Biospherical Instruments, Inc.), a laser spectrofluorometer (WETLabs ALFA, Chekalyuk et al., 2012) that replaced the FRRF, a spectral backscattering sensor (WETLabs Eco-bb3), a pCO2 sensor (ProOceanus CO2-Pro), a pH sensor (Satlantic, SeaFET) and a particle imaging system triggered by chlorophyll-a fluorescence (a prototype of McLane Research Laboratories' Imaging FlowCytobot, Sosik Lab, WHOI). Discrete measurements of CDOM absorption measurements were made using an Ultrapath (WPI Inc.) to calibrate the in-line AC-S. Hence the AC-S was also used to provide CDOM absorption in addition to particulate matter properties. The present dataset contains surface water data measured during the 2009-2012 campaigns of the Tara Oceans Expedition. Latitude and Longitude were obtained from TSG data. The time stamp of this data set is harmonised with that of other underway data in this collection.