Swimming at Manhattan Beach today
Manhattan Beach, California
Updated 4:03 AM PDT
What decides a swimming score
Water quality
Grades along this beach run from A to A+ — a spread, but not one that changes whether the water is safe to swim in.
Graded clean today
- 50 yards south of storm drain at 28th StreetA+
All 3 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 28th St. drain storm drain / pier | 1.3 km | A |
| 50 yards south of storm drain at 28th Street | 1.3 km | A+ |
| Pier drain storm drain / pier | 0.2 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
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 75°F. That is 4° above the August average of 71°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 swimming today?
Great for swimming — we score it 83 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 2.6 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 Manhattan Beach?
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.