Delray Beach Public Beach (Atlantic Avenue)
Delray's municipal beach spreads out from the pavilion at the east end of Atlantic Avenue, a wide, guarded stretch of sand facing open Atlantic water. Ocean Rescue staffs the towers every day of the year from 9 a.m., until 6:30 p.m. in daylight saving time and 5 p.m. in winter. Rip currents are the main hazard and kiteboarders launch south of the guarded area, so swim near a tower.
Photo: maarit u · CC BY 3.0
Latest reading · SwimScore 85/100 (Get in) for a typical swimmer: air 28°C, wind 9 km/h, waves 0.6 m, UV 2. Updated .
Know before you go
- Best conditions
- Calm, light-wind mornings; wave size varies with tides, wind and offshore systems.
- Getting in
- Delray Municipal Beach runs along S. Ocean Blvd. (A1A), centered on the east end of Atlantic Avenue, where an elevated covered pavilion and a beach access mat sit at the Atlantic Avenue/A1A intersection.
- Parking & transport
- Five metered lots plus metered parallel parking along Ocean Boulevard; spaces get tight in season.
- Lifeguards
- Delray Beach Ocean Rescue guards the Municipal Beach and Atlantic Dunes Park 365 days a year; towers are staffed 9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. during daylight saving time and 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. in standard time.
- Water quality
- Florida Department of Health Healthy Beaches Program samples the 'Sandoway Park' 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. The site is about 350 m south of Atlantic Avenue.
- Season
- Year-round; guarded every day.
- Who swims here
- Delray Beach Ocean Rescue lists an annual Ocean Mile Swim among its programs; Ray's Notebook, a national open-water race calendar, reported a Delray Beach swim as defunct in February 2026, so confirm before planning around it.
- Watch for
- Rip currents
- Kiteboarders launch and land at least 400 feet south of the guarded beach
- Facilities
- Showers · Accessible restroom at Sarah Gleason Park across Atlantic Avenue · Covered pavilion and beach access mat · Free surf wheelchairs (two-hour limit) · Umbrella, chair and cabana rentals
Sources: delraybeachfl.gov, visitflorida.com, islandwatersports.com, raysnotebook.info, floridahealth.gov, fdoh.maps.arcgis.com
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Details
- Location
- Delray Beach, FL, United States
- Type
- ocean
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Coordinates
- 26.4611, -80.0579