Common questions about the Swell Beach Score, how conditions are scored, and what Swell covers.
Swell scores 4,800+ US beaches in real time. It turns surf, weather, water temperature, wind, UV, and tides into a single 0–100 Beach Score — so you always know whether a beach is worth visiting, and what activities are best when you get there.
Open Explore and Swell ranks beaches by their live Beach Score. A high score means temperature, waves, wind, rain, sun, and daylight are all lining up right now.
Yes. Browsing beaches and Beach Scores on the website is free. An account (also free) adds favorites, a home beach, and your visit log, and the mobile app brings it all to the sand.
The Beach Score weighs seven live conditions — temperature, waves, wind, rain, sun & UV, air quality, and daylight. A single poor factor pulls the score down, so a high score means everything’s working together. See the How it works page for the full breakdown.
91–100 is perfect, 66–90 is a great day, 41–65 is fair, and 0–40 means something’s working against you. The number is consistent across every beach, so you can compare at a glance.
Yes. Every Beach Score and activity rating factors in live air quality (AQI). Swell blends a global model with the nearest ground monitor so dense smoke isn’t smoothed away — when the air turns unhealthy the score drops and the beach page flags the current AQI.
Every 15 minutes. Conditions can change quickly, so always use your own judgment before entering the water.
Sixteen: family day, swimming, surfing, snorkeling & diving, tanning, fishing, paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, parasailing, boogie boarding, picnic, bonfire, running, and beach sports. Each gets its own 0–5 seashell rating.
Over 4,800 beaches across the US coastlines and Great Lakes, with more added regularly.
Not yet — the full Swell experience is on the web today, free to use on any device. Native iOS & Android apps are on the way; tap any app-store badge to leave your email and we'll tell you the moment they launch.
Email [email protected] or visit the support page. We typically respond within one business day.