Manhattan Beach with kids today
Manhattan Beach, California
Updated 1:00 AM PDT
What decides a families with kids score
Water quality
Where you swim changes the answer here — we score this beach 50 at its worst monitored point and 71 at its best.
Cleanest today
- 50 yards south of storm drain at 28th StreetA+
Avoid today
- Pier drainD
These are storm drains and piers, which are sampled precisely because they are the worst spots on a beach.
All 3 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Pier drain storm drain / pier | 0.2 km | D |
| 50 yards south of storm drain at 28th Street | 1.3 km | A+ |
| 28th St. drain storm drain / pier | 1.3 km | A+ |
Dry-weather bacterial grades from the Heal the Bay Beach Report Card, updated 2026-10-09. Grades reflect the most recent agency sampling and can change after rain.
Before you swim
Surf is running 3.1 ft today, which makes shorebreak and currents stronger than usual.
Swim near a staffed lifeguard tower, and check the National Weather Service surf-zone forecast for the official rip-current outlook — we report conditions, we don't forecast rip currents.
Manhattan Beach is also scored for
About Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 58°F in February to 71°F in August.
The water averages above 70°F in August and September — 2 months of the year — peaking around 71°F in August and dropping to about 58°F in February.
Today it is 72°F. That is 5° above the October average of 67°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Santa Monica, Municipal Pier about 16 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Manhattan Beach good for families today?
Fine with close supervision — we score it 71 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 3.1 ft.
What makes a good families with kids day?
We weight surf calmness (35%), water temperature (25%), uv exposure (22%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.