Can you swim at Machrihanish right now?

Machrihanish is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. This reflects the latest data published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.

What is the water quality like at Machrihanish?

the Scottish Environment Protection Agency classified Machrihanish 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 Machrihanish?

There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for Machrihanish. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.

What facilities are there at Machrihanish?

Machrihanish has parking. Facility information comes from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Machrihanish

Good to go

No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.

Checked 34 minutes ago against the Scottish Environment Protection Agency · data last changed 2 months ago.

Sea conditions

Water temperature

13.8°C

Chilly — most swimmers want a wetsuit

Wave height

1.2 m

Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.

Tide

Going out

Low water around 22:00 UTC
High water around 02:00 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

Machrihanish is in Scotland, about 41 km from Ballycastle. Machrihanish was rated Excellent in 2025 by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Facilities & access

Parking: YesCar park about 250 m away (OpenStreetMap)

Official water quality

Classified Excellent in 2025.

Official bathing-water profile

What Excellent, Good, Sufficient and Poor actually mean

Common questions

Can you swim at Machrihanish right now?: Machrihanish is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. This reflects the latest data published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
What is the water quality like at Machrihanish?: the Scottish Environment Protection Agency classified Machrihanish 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 Machrihanish?: There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for Machrihanish. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
What facilities are there at Machrihanish?: Machrihanish has parking. Facility information comes from OpenStreetMap contributors.

This spot is also in

Beaches rated Excellent in the United Kingdom

Get told when this changes

We’ll email you when the swim status at Machrihanish moves — a pollution alert opening, or one lifting. Not a newsletter: only this spot, only when it changes, at most once every 12 hours.

Your address is used for these alerts and nothing else, is never shared, and is deleted the moment you unsubscribe — a link is in every email.