Swimming at Huntington Beach today
Huntington Beach, California
Updated 4:03 AM PDT
What decides a swimming score
Water quality
Grades along this beach run from B to A+ — a spread, but not one that changes whether the water is safe to swim in.
Graded clean today
- Magnolia StreetA+
- Power plant projection of Newland St.A+
- Beach Blvd.A+
- 17th StreetA+
2 more monitored points along this beach grade A or better.
All 9 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Brookhurst | 3.9 km | B |
| Bluffs at Dog Beach | 3.6 km | A+ |
| Huntington Street | 0.5 km | A+ |
| 17th Street | 1.6 km | A+ |
| Beach Blvd. | 1.4 km | A+ |
| Power plant projection of Newland St. | 2.2 km | A+ |
| Magnolia Street | 2.9 km | A+ |
| Santa Ana River upcoast storm drain / pier | 4.6 km | A+ |
| Santa Ana River Mouth north side storm drain / pier | 4.6 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 3.5 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.
Huntington Beach is also scored for
About Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 58°F in February 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 58°F in February.
Today it is 75°F. That is 3° above the August average of 72°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Balboa Pier, Newport Beach about 11 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Huntington Beach good for swimming today?
Great for swimming — we score it 83 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 3.5 ft.
What makes a good swimming day?
We weight water temperature (40%), surf calmness (25%), uv exposure (15%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.
When is the best time of year to swim at Huntington Beach?
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 58°F in February.