Crosby Beach
Safety warning
- Quicksand and shifting mud
- Areas of very soft, deep mud shift constantly and people get stuck in them. Stay within 50 m of the sea wall. — Sefton Council
- Permanently red-flagged — swimming not allowed
- Crosby is not a bathing beach and swimming is not permitted at any time, because of the mud and a fast-flowing tide. — Sefton Council
- Lifeguards year-round, because of the danger
- Crosby is the only RNLI beach in the UK with a 365-day lifeguard presence, which reflects how serious the hazards here are rather than making the water safe. — RNLI / Sefton Council
Do not swim
Sefton Council states that swimming is not allowed at Crosby Beach at any time. The beach is permanently red-flagged and is not a bathing beach: it has quicksand, constantly shifting mudbanks and a fast-flowing tide. The council advises staying within 50 m of the sea wall. It is not a designated bathing water, so no water-quality monitoring applies.
Checked against the Environment Agency (England).
Sea conditions
Water temperature
20.8°C
Mild by Irish and British standards
Wave height
0.5 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.
About this spot
Crosby Beach stretches north from Waterloo on the Sefton coast and is best known for Antony Gormley's Another Place, a hundred cast-iron figures standing along the tideline. It is a walking and sculpture beach rather than a swimming one.
Common questions
- Can you swim at Crosby Beach right now?
- Crosby Beach is currently marked "Do not swim". Sefton Council states that swimming is not allowed at Crosby Beach at any time. The beach is permanently red-flagged and is not a bathing beach: it has quicksand, constantly shifting mudbanks and a fast-flowing tide. The council advises staying within 50 m of the sea wall. It is not a designated bathing water, so no water-quality monitoring applies. This reflects the latest data published by the Environment Agency (England). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.