Looking for the cleanest beaches in Orange County? Heal the Bay’s 2025–2026 Beach Report Card placed eight Orange County monitoring locations on its Clean Beach Honor Roll for consistently excellent bacterial water quality. Annual grades are useful for comparing beaches, but they do not guarantee conditions are safe today. Rain, runoff, sewage spills and other events can quickly change ocean water quality.
Before you swim: Check the Orange County Health Care Agency’s current beach advisories, warnings and closures. For annual grades and additional monitoring information, visit Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card.
2025–2026 Orange County Clean Beach Honor Roll
Heal the Bay named 21 California monitoring locations to its 2025–2026 Honor Roll, including eight in Orange County. To qualify, a location must be monitored weekly year-round and earn A+ grades during Summer Dry, Winter Dry and Wet Weather conditions.
- Huntington Harbour, Admiralty Dr. Beach
- Huntington Harbor, Coral Cay Beach
- Dana Point Harbor, Guest Dock
- Capistrano County Beach, South Capistrano Bay
- Huntington City Beach at Beach Blvd.
- Laguna Beach, Three Arch Bay
- Laguna Beach, 1000 Steps Beach at 9th St.
- Sunset Beach at Broadway
Read Heal the Bay’s 2025–2026 Beach Report Card.
Best Clean Beaches for a Beach Day
The Honor Roll includes both recreational beaches and specific harbor or monitoring locations, so not every entry is a traditional beach-day destination. Among the visitor-friendly Honor Roll locations are Huntington City Beach at Beach Boulevard, 1000 Steps Beach in Laguna Beach and Sunset Beach. Always check current conditions before entering the water.
Annual Grade vs. Today’s Water Quality
A Clean Beach Honor Roll designation reflects consistently excellent water-quality grades across the annual reporting period. It does not mean a beach is automatically safe for swimming every day. Current bacteria levels can change after rain, stormwater runoff, sewage spills and other pollution events.
Check Current Orange County Beach Water Quality
Orange County monitors ocean, bay, harbor and drainage locations and posts current water-quality information through OC Beachinfo. Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card also lets you search beach grades and alerts.
Beach Warnings, Advisories & Closures
- Warning: Posted when bacterial levels exceed health standards.
- Closure: Used when an immediate health hazard, such as sewage contamination, makes ocean contact unsafe.
- Advisory: Indicates conditions such as rainfall and runoff may increase bacteria levels and swimming risk.
After significant rainfall, avoid ocean water contact for at least 72 hours, particularly near storm drains, creeks and river mouths where runoff enters the ocean.
Beach Report Card Grades
Heal the Bay uses an A–F grading system based on bacterial water-quality standards. A and B grades generally indicate better water quality and lower health risk, while C, D and F grades indicate increasing concern. Check the current grade and local health-agency notices before swimming.
NowCast Predictions
NowCast uses predictive models to estimate daily water quality at select beaches. Predictions are not available at every Orange County beach, so use them alongside current monitoring results and health-agency notices where available.
Why Beach Water Quality Changes
Water quality can change because of rainfall and stormwater runoff, sewage spills, flowing storm drains and creeks, and limited water circulation in enclosed harbors and lagoons. A beach with excellent annual grades can still experience a temporary warning or closure.
How to Stay Healthy at the Beach
- Check current beach conditions before entering the water.
- Wait at least 72 hours after significant rainfall before swimming.
- Avoid water near flowing storm drains, creeks and river mouths.
- Follow all posted warnings, advisories and closures.
- Do not let children play in stormwater runoff or puddles near drainage outlets.
Help protect local beaches by participating in an Orange County Coastal Cleanup Day.
Past Orange County Clean Beach Honor Rolls
Honor Roll results can change dramatically from year to year because rainfall and runoff have a major effect on coastal bacteria levels. The 2024–2025 report had 62 California Honor Roll locations, including 34 in Orange County, while the 2023–2024 report had only 12 statewide. For current trip planning, use the latest 2025–2026 results above rather than older annual lists.
2025–2026 Beach Bummer List
No Orange County beach appeared on Heal the Bay’s 2025–2026 list of the 10 most polluted California beach monitoring locations. That annual result should not be confused with current advisories or closures, which can occur temporarily at any beach.
Sources
- Heal the Bay — 2025–2026 Beach Report Card
- Orange County Health Care Agency — Ocean Water Protection Program
Last updated: September 2026.