Swimming at Santa Cruz Beach today
Santa Cruz, California
Updated 1:00 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
- West of the wharfA+
- The StairsA+
All 3 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| The San Lorenzo River storm drain / pier | 0.9 km | A |
| The Stairs | 0.7 km | A+ |
| West of the wharf | 0.3 km | A+ |
Dry-weather bacterial grades from the Heal the Bay Beach Report Card, updated 2026-10-09. Grades reflect the most recent agency sampling and can change after rain.
Before you swim
Surf is running 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.
Santa Cruz Beach is also scored for
About Santa Cruz Beach
Santa Cruz Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 55°F in January to 62°F in September.
The water here never averages above 70°F — even in September, the warmest month, it sits around 62°F. Most people wear a wetsuit.
Today it is 64°F. That is 3° above the October average of 61°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay about 0.9 km away inside a bay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Santa Cruz Beach good for swimming today?
Poor for swimming — we score it 51 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 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 Santa Cruz Beach?
The water here never averages above 70°F — even in September, the warmest month, it sits around 62°F. Most people wear a wetsuit.