Swimming at Santa Monica Beach today
Santa Monica, California
Updated 4:03 AM PDT
What decides a swimming score
Water quality
Where you swim changes the answer here — we score this beach 30 at its worst monitored point and 84 at its best.
Cleanest today
- Strand St. (in front of the restrooms)A+
- Montana 50 yards south of storm drainA
Avoid today
- Santa Monica Municipal PierF
These are storm drains and piers, which are sampled precisely because they are the worst spots on a beach.
All 7 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica Municipal Pier storm drain / pier | 0.1 km | F |
| Wilshire Blvd. drain storm drain / pier | 0.9 km | C |
| Wilshire 50 yards south of storm drain | 0.8 km | B |
| Montana 50 yards south of storm drain | 1.6 km | A |
| Montana Ave. drain storm drain / pier | 1.7 km | A |
| Pico/Kenter storm drain storm drain / pier | 0.6 km | A |
| Strand St. (in front of the restrooms) | 1 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.
Santa Monica Beach is also scored for
About Santa Monica Beach
Santa Monica Beach sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 58°F in January 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 January.
Today it is 74°F. That is 3° above the August average of 71°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Santa Monica, Municipal Pier about 0.1 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Santa Monica Beach good for swimming today?
Great for swimming — we score it 84 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 Santa Monica 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 January.