North Shore Beach

North Shore Beach is a sandy strip on Tampa Bay in downtown St. Petersburg, beside the year-round North Shore pool and the palm arboretum. It's where the St. Anthony's Triathlon starts its sprint and Olympic swims each April. The city tests its swimming beaches weekly for enterococci, so check the latest results before you get in, especially after heavy rain.

Directions

Photo: Andrew Petersen · CC BY 3.0

Get your personalized SwimScore

Latest reading · SwimScore 86/100 (Get in) for a typical swimmer: air 31°C, wind 17 km/h, waves 0.1 m, UV 4. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Getting in: City of St. Petersburg beach at 901 North Shore Dr. N.E., on Tampa Bay in downtown St. Petersburg.
Water quality: The City of St. Petersburg Environmental Compliance Division tests its swimming beaches weekly for enterococci: samples are taken Wednesday and results usually posted Thursday; a sub-par result is retested the next day, and an advisory is issued if the retest also fails.
Season: The St. Anthony's Triathlon is held in late April (April 26 in 2026).
Who swims here: St. Anthony's Triathlon: the sprint and Olympic swims start at North Shore Beach, about 0.4 miles north of the transition area, with open-water clinics during race week.
Watch for: Red tide blooms occur nearly every summer on Florida's Gulf Coast (City of St. Petersburg)
Bacteria advisories are possible when weekly tests fail
Facilities: Playground · Year-round Olympic-caliber swimming pool (North Shore pool) · Tennis courts · Palm arboretum and picnic areas

Sources: stpete.org, stpete.org, tampabay.wateratlas.usf.edu, satriathlon.com