Updated August 2026
Best beaches in Alabama by water quality
Alabama has 24 public beaches in the EPA monitoring dataset, 22 of them with enough bacteria samples to grade. 6 earn an A for consistently clean water, while 3 grade an F for frequently exceeding the safe-swimming limit. Full ranking below.
| Grade | Beach | County | % over limit | Samples | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Cotton Bayou | Baldwin | 0% | 139 | Excellent |
| A | Dauphin Island Public Beach | Mobile | 0.8% | 119 | Excellent |
| A | Fort Morgan Public Beach | Baldwin | 1% | 96 | Excellent |
| A | Gulf Shores Public Beach | Baldwin | 1.3% | 299 | Excellent |
| A | Pirate's Cove | Baldwin | 2% | 50 | Excellent |
| A | Camp Dixie | Baldwin | 2.2% | 138 | Excellent |
| B | Little Lagoon Pass Beach | Baldwin | 3.6% | 222 | Good |
| B | Florida Point | Baldwin | 5% | 322 | Good |
| B | Escambia Avenue | Baldwin | 5% | 101 | Good |
| B | Alabama Point (Gulf Of Mexico) | Baldwin | 5.1% | 136 | Good |
| C | Dauphin Island East End | Mobile | 7.4% | 95 | Fair |
| C | May Day Park | Baldwin | 10.8% | 157 | Fair |
| D | Camp Beckwith | Baldwin | 13.1% | 350 | Poor |
| D | Fairhope Public Beach | Baldwin | 13.8% | 268 | Poor |
| D | Volanta Avenue | Baldwin | 14.9% | 168 | Poor |
| D | Orange Beach Waterfront Park | Baldwin | 15.9% | 309 | Poor |
| D | Orange Street Pier/Beach | Baldwin | 16% | 163 | Poor |
| D | Spanish Cove | Baldwin | 18.8% | 170 | Poor |
| D | Kee Avenue | Baldwin | 19.1% | 309 | Poor |
| F | Fowl River @ Hw 193 | Mobile | 31.3% | 272 | Failing |
| F | Mary Ann Nelson Beach | Baldwin | 32% | 347 | Failing |
| F | Dog River, Alba Club | Mobile | 41% | 907 | Failing |
Download the full Alabama beach safety ranking
All 22 graded Alabama beaches with their Beach Safety Grade, exceedance rate, sample counts, and program status — from EPA monitoring data. Enter your email to download; you'll also get swim-advisory alerts. A grade is a multi-year classification, not a same-day safety clearance.
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