Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach is 2.5 miles of white sand on a barrier island, and the Gulf here shelves gradually and usually runs calmer than Florida's Atlantic side. Lifeguards staff the main public beach year-round, and the city hosted the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship from 2006 to 2010. Head for a garage rather than circling the Pier 60 lot, which fills first.

Directions

Photo: Michel Rathwell from Cornwall, Canada · CC BY 2.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 87/100 (Get in) for a typical swimmer: air 30°C, wind 12 km/h, waves 0.2 m, UV 4. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Best conditions: Calm days; the bottom shelves gradually, but wind, tides and offshore systems can make the water rough and rip currents can form.
Getting in: Main public beach around Pier 60, where State Road 60 ends on the barrier island across the Clearwater Memorial Causeway.
Parking & transport: Three public garages, city lots and metered street spaces, paid by pay-by-plate kiosk, text or the ParkMobile app; the Pier 60 lot fills first on busy days.
Lifeguards: Lifeguards staff the main public beach year-round, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (Visit Florida); the city's Beach Lifeguard Division is headquartered at Tower 0 with 10 full-time and 20 part-time lifeguards.
Water quality: Florida Department of Health Healthy Beaches Program samples the 'Clearwater Beach - Pier 60' site for enterococci bacteria every 1–2 weeks depending on county (Good 0–35, Moderate 36–70, Poor 71+ per 100 mL); an advisory is issued when a sample and its resample both exceed 70. A second site, 'Clearwater Beach - Mandalay Park', covers the north end.
Season: Year-round, with lifeguards every day.
Who swims here: Clearwater hosted the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship every November from 2006 to 2010. Clearwater Aquatic Masters (U.S. Masters Swimming) holds a Saturday 7:30 a.m. open-water swim/run at Sand Key Park, just south across the bridge.
Watch for: Rip currents can form when wind, tides or offshore systems make the Gulf rough
Red tide (Karenia brevis): FWC says blooms occur in the Gulf almost every year, generally in late summer or early fall, most often between Clearwater and Sanibel Island
Facilities: Restrooms · Snack bar · Large beach playground at Pier 60 · Rinse showers and drinking fountains along Beach Walk