Hermosa Beach

Hermosa's two miles of open sand face straight into Santa Monica Bay, with good swimming areas between the volleyball courts and the surf breaks. The pier is the starting line for the International Surf Festival's Pier-to-Pier Swim, and the qualifying check-out swims happen on its south side each July. Swim near a staffed tower and keep clear of surfers at the pier.

Directions

Photo: Laura Alier · CC BY 4.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 78/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 23°C, wind 15 km/h, waves 0.8 m, UV 8. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Getting in: Almost 2 miles of city-owned beach with 94 acres of sand along The Strand, running south to King Harbor in Redondo Beach. Bus: Beach Cities Transit 109 and Commuter Express 438.
Parking & transport: Metered street parking and parking lots.
Lifeguards: LA County lifeguards on duty during daylight hours.
Water quality: LA County surf-zone monitoring for fecal indicator bacteria. Heal the Bay 2025–26 Beach Report Card: 50 yards south of the pier B summer dry, B winter dry, A wet weather; Hermosa City Beach at 26th St. A+ summer dry, D wet weather.
Season: Beach open year-round; Pier-to-Pier check-out swims in July and the race in early August.
Who swims here: Start of the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim: swimmers enter south of the 10th Street lifeguard tower, round the Hermosa pier and swim 2 miles to Manhattan Beach. The 500-meter lifeguard check-out swims for entrants who did not finish the previous year are held on the south side of the pier in July.
Watch for: Ocean surf; surfers concentrate near the pier
Bacteria rise after rain; county rain advisories last 72 hours after rainfall ends
Facilities: Restrooms · Showers · Playground · Concession stand · Beach wheelchair · Bike path access · Volleyball courts