Pismo Beach with kids today
Pismo Beach, California
Updated 4:03 AM PDT
What decides a families with kids score
Water quality
Grades along this beach run from C to A+ — a spread, but not one that changes whether the water is safe to swim in.
Graded clean today
- Pismo State Beach 571 yards south of Pier Avenue end of…A+
- Pismo State Beach 330 yards north of Pier Ave.A+
- Ocean ViewA+
- Pier 40 feet south of the pierA+
All 6 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Wadsworth Street | 0.5 km | C |
| Pier 40 feet south of the pier | 0.6 km | A+ |
| Ocean View | 0.8 km | A+ |
| Pismo State Beach 330 yards north of Pier Ave. | 3.9 km | A+ |
| Pismo State Beach 571 yards south of Pier Avenue end of… | 4.8 km | A+ |
| Pismo State Beach projection of Pier Ave. storm drain / pier | 4.2 km | A+ |
Dry-weather bacterial grades from the Heal the Bay Beach Report Card, updated 2026-08-21. Grades reflect the most recent agency sampling and can change after rain.
Before you swim
Surf is running 4.5 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.
Better nearby for families with kids
Pismo Beach is also scored for
About Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 55°F in April to 63°F in September.
The water here never averages above 70°F — even in September, the warmest month, it sits around 63°F. Most people wear a wetsuit.
Today it is 62°F. That is 1° above the August average of 61°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Port San Luis about 10.7 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pismo Beach good for families today?
Tricky with small children — we score it 52 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is water temperature at 62°F.
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.