Laguna Beach Main Beach

Laguna's central beach, where Broadway and Ocean Avenue meet Coast Highway, has a mostly sandy bottom, a steep shorebreak and rocks at the north end near Bird Rock. The Oak Streeters hold their weekend ocean workouts off this beach. Surf here can get large, with rip currents and heavy shorebreak, so check with the lifeguards at the north-end headquarters before a long swim.

Directions

Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 79/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 22°C, wind 10 km/h, waves 0.8 m, UV 8. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Best conditions: Small-surf days; the bottom is mostly sand except near Bird Rock.
Getting in: In the middle of town where Broadway and Ocean Avenue meet Coast Highway; the landmark white lifeguard tower stands mid-beach.
Lifeguards: Laguna Beach Marine Safety provides year-round, 24-hour emergency response on 5.5 miles of city beach; individual towers are staffed at peak times.
Water quality: Orange County Health Care Agency's Ocean Water Protection Program (OC Beachinfo) samples for bacteria against state health standards and posts warnings and closures. Main Beach lies within the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, where all take of marine life is prohibited.
Season: Year-round lifeguard response; towers staffed at peak times.
Who swims here: The Oak Streeters (Oak Streakers) do weekend ocean workouts and an annual 100 x 100s off Main Beach. Laguna Beach Open Water Swimming (LBOWS), an informal, fee-free group of about 400, posts weekly 6 a.m. group swims.
Watch for: Large surf with rip currents
Heavy shorebreak
Rocky bottom at the north end near Bird Rock
Facilities: Lifeguard headquarters at the north end of Main Beach (175 N. Coast Hwy) · Beach wheelchair available from lifeguard headquarters