Swimming at Pacific Beach today
San Diego, California
Updated 4:03 AM PDT
What decides a swimming score
Water quality
Every monitored point along this beach currently grades A+.
Graded clean today
- Grand Av.A+
- Tourmaline Surf Park (proj. of Tourmaline St.)A+
All 2 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Tourmaline Surf Park (proj. of Tourmaline St.) | 1.5 km | A+ |
| Grand Av. | 0.3 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 swimming
Pacific Beach is also scored for
About Pacific Beach
Pacific Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 59°F in January to 71°F in August.
The water averages above 70°F in July, August and September — 3 months of the year — peaking around 71°F in August and dropping to about 59°F in January.
Today it is 75°F. That is 4° above the August average of 71°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Mission Bay, Campland about 2.8 km away inside a bay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pacific Beach good for swimming today?
Swimmable, with care — we score it 76 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 3.6 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 Pacific Beach?
The water averages above 70°F in July, August and September — 3 months of the year — peaking around 71°F in August and dropping to about 59°F in January.