St Margaret`s Bay
Good to go
No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.
Checked against the Environment Agency (England) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
18.2°C
Mild by Irish and British standards
Wave height
0.2 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Coming in
- High water around UTC
- Low water around UTC
Modelled values, not measurements — coastal water often differs from the open-sea model, and tide times are approximate to within about half an hour. Use official tide tables for anything that depends on precise timing.
This spot’s record
St Margaret`s Bay is in Dover, about 8 km from Deal. St Margaret`s Bay has been rated Excellent in each of the 4 bathing seasons classified by the Environment Agency (England), 2022 through 2025. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environment Agency (England), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 45 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 26 June 2026. A classification is calculated from percentiles across four seasons, so no single reading decides how this water is rated.
Recent sample results
The last 12 bacterial samples published by the Environment Agency (England), most recent on the right. Counts are per 100 ml of water.
Dashed line: 500 E. coli per 100 ml, the Bathing Water Directive guide value for coastal / transitional waters.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sept | 10 | 10 | — |
| 27 Aug | 18 | 46 | — |
| 14 Aug | 10 | 10 | — |
| 2 Aug | 10 | 10 | — |
| 15 Jul | 10 | 10 | — |
| 2 Jul | 10 | 10 | — |
A bathing water's official classification is calculated from percentiles across four bathing seasons, not from any single sample — so one high reading doesn't mean a spot is unsafe, and one low reading doesn't mean it's clean today.
Quality over the last 4 years
- Excellent2022
- Excellent2023
- Excellent2024
- Excellent2025
This water has been rated Excellent in each of the last 4 years.
Facilities & access
- Parking
- YesSt Margaret's Bay Car Park about 50 m away (OpenStreetMap)
- Toilets
- YesPublic toilets about 50 m away (OpenStreetMap)
Official water quality
Classified Excellent in 2025.
Official bathing-water profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at St Margaret`s Bay right now?
- St Margaret`s Bay is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. This reflects the latest data published by the Environment Agency (England). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
- What is the water quality like at St Margaret`s Bay?
- the Environment Agency (England) classified St Margaret`s Bay as Excellent in 2025. Classifications are a rolling assessment of bacterial samples taken over four bathing seasons, measured against E. coli and intestinal enterococci limits set by the EU Bathing Water Directive.
- Is there a swimming ban or warning at St Margaret`s Bay?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environment Agency (England) for St Margaret`s Bay. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- What facilities are there at St Margaret`s Bay?
- St Margaret`s Bay has toilets, parking. Facility information comes from OpenStreetMap contributors.
This spot is also in
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Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Deal — about 8 km away.