San Clemente Beach with kids today
San Clemente, California
Updated 4:03 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 70 at its best.
Cleanest today
- State Beach Avenida CalafiaA+
- South Linda LaneA+
- T StreetA+
- North beach at Avenida PicoA+
4 more monitored points along this beach grade A or better.
Avoid today
- North beach Pico drainD
These are storm drains and piers, which are sampled precisely because they are the worst spots on a beach.
All 11 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| North beach Pico drain storm drain / pier | 1.2 km | D |
| El Portal | 0.7 km | B |
| Linda Lane Beach | 0.6 km | A+ |
| Mariposa Beach | 0.6 km | A+ |
| Riviera Beach | 2.3 km | A+ |
| Clock Tower North | 0.7 km | A+ |
| North beach at Avenida Pico | 1.1 km | A+ |
| T Street | 1.1 km | A+ |
| Pier drain storm drain / pier | 0.9 km | A+ |
| South Linda Lane | 0.6 km | A+ |
| State Beach Avenida Calafia | 2.7 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 3.6 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
San Clemente Beach is also scored for
About San Clemente Beach
San Clemente Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 59°F in January to 72°F in August.
The water averages above 70°F in July, August and September — 3 months of the year — peaking around 72°F in August and dropping to about 59°F in January.
Today it is 76°F. That is 4° above the August average of 72°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station San Clemente about 1.2 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is San Clemente Beach good for families today?
Fine with close supervision — we score it 70 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 3.6 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.