Swimming spots near Portsmouth
28 swimming spots within 30 km of Portsmouth, 28 of them designated bathing waters monitored by the Environment Agency (England). Nearest first — the closest is Southsea East, about 3 km away.
7 under a do-not-swim notice right now. 2 carrying a caution. 19 with no current pollution alert. 19 rated Excellent under the EU Bathing Water Directive, which describes four seasons of samples rather than today.
- Southsea East2.5 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Eastney3.6 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Stokes Bay4.9 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Hayling Beachlands West6.5 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Hayling Beachlands Central7.4 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Lee-on-Solent8.0 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Ryde8.8 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Hayling Eastoke8.9 km from PortsmouthDo not swim
- Seagrove9.4 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Hillhead9.6 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- St Helens11.3 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Bembridge12.7 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- West Wittering12.8 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- East Cowes14.1 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Whitecliff Bay14.2 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Yaverland15.7 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Cowes15.8 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Calshot16.0 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Sandown16.7 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Bracklesham Bay16.7 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Gurnard17.1 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Lepe18.6 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Shanklin20.1 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Selsey23.6 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Ventnor24.5 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Pagham25.2 km from PortsmouthGood to go
- Bognor Regis (Aldwick)28.2 km from PortsmouthCaution
- Bognor Regis East29.7 km from PortsmouthCaution
Browse the wider area
Common questions
- Where can you swim near Portsmouth?
- 28 sea, lake and river swimming spots lie within 30 km of Portsmouth, spread across 8 areas. This page lists them by distance from the town rather than by county, because a boundary is not what decides where you drive.
- What is the nearest beach to Portsmouth?
- Southsea East in City of Portsmouth, about 3 km away. It is the closest of the 28 listed here; the next few are within a short drive and each shows its current status, so the nearest is not always the one to pick.
- Is the water clean near Portsmouth?
- 28 of these 28 spots are designated bathing waters with published monitoring, from the Environment Agency (England). Monitoring covers bacterial quality only — it says nothing about tides, currents, swell or cold-water shock, and nothing here is a clearance to swim.
- Which spots near Portsmouth have the best water quality?
- 19 of them hold Excellent, the top classification under the EU Bathing Water Directive, based on bacterial samples across the previous four bathing seasons. That describes a four-year record rather than the water today — each spot page shows both.
- Can you swim near Portsmouth right now?
- 9 of the 28 are currently flagged, including 7 under an active do-not-swim notice, and 19 have no current pollution alert. These change day to day, so check the individual spot before you travel.