Updated August 2026
Is your beach safe to swim?
BeachGrade turns EPA beach-monitoring data into a plain A–F Beach Safety Grade for 3,000 monitored U.S. beaches — so you can see which ones flag swim advisories most often before you pack the car.
Beaches that flag advisories most
Where bacteria samples exceeded the safe-swimming limit most often over the monitored period. A high rate doesn’t mean it’s unsafe today — check the current advisory — but it flags beaches worth a second look.
Seagull Park (Pafb)
View Seagull Park (Pafb) →Pleasure Beach-Bridgeport
View Pleasure Beach-Bridgeport →Mission Bay, De Anza Cove - Mb-070
View Mission Bay, De Anza Cove - Mb-070 →Belleair Beach - Morgan Drive
View Belleair Beach - Morgan Drive →Seabright Beach
View Seabright Beach →Tecolote Shores - Mb-041
View Tecolote Shores - Mb-041 →Jeddo Road Beach
View Jeddo Road Beach →Mission Bay, Vacation Isle - Mb-203
View Mission Bay, Vacation Isle - Mb-203 →Cleanest monitored beaches
McFaddin Nwr
View McFaddin Nwr →City Of South Padre Island
View City Of South Padre Island →Sanibel Causeway Beach
View Sanibel Causeway Beach →San Clemente City Beach - Picod
View San Clemente City Beach - Picod →Boca Chica State Park
View Boca Chica State Park →Laguna Beach - Victrau
View Laguna Beach - Victrau →Emerald Bay - Olb10
View Emerald Bay - Olb10 →Ocean City Beach 2
View Ocean City Beach 2 →Browse beaches by state
All states →Washington
New Jersey
Michigan
Massachusetts
Florida
Hawaii
California
New York
North Carolina
Wisconsin
Alaska
Texas
Rhode Island
Maine
Minnesota
Oregon
Northern Mariana Islands
Maryland
Connecticut
Illinois
Ohio
Virginia
American Samoa
U.S. Virgin Islands
Georgia
Puerto Rico
Indiana
Guam
Louisiana
Delaware
South Carolina
Mississippi
Alabama
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Know before you go
Beach water-quality updates and swim-advisory alerts, by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
How BeachGrade works
Frequently Asked Questions
Each beach gets an A–F Beach Safety Grade based on the share of bacteria samples that exceeded the EPA Beach Action Value over multiple years. Beaches whose water rarely crosses the safe-swimming threshold score an A; those that frequently exceed it score a D or F. Grades use only real public monitoring data from the EPA Water Quality Portal and BEACON program.
High levels of fecal-indicator bacteria — Enterococcus at saltwater beaches, E. coli at freshwater and Great Lakes beaches. When bacteria exceed the Beach Action Value (about 104–235 CFU/100 mL), water managers post a swimming advisory because the risk of gastrointestinal and other illness rises. Levels spike after heavy rain, which flushes runoff into the water.
No. The grade reflects a beach’s multi-year track record; a current advisory reflects today. A beach can have a good grade and still be under a temporary advisory after a storm. Always check the official state or county advisory the day you plan to swim.