Little Squalicum Beach 2
Tested by Surfrider Foundation volunteers (Northwest Straits), usually every 48 days.
Taken 203 days ago. Results can take 1 to 3 weeks to be published, and many sites are tested less often in winter.
Stay out through Friday, Nov 13
About 0.72 in of rain fell nearby on Tuesday, Nov 10. Health departments advise staying out of the ocean during rain and for 72 hours after it, because runoff carries bacteria and viruses to the beach. If no more rain falls, Saturday, Nov 14 is the first day back.
Enterococcus over time
- Friday, Apr 24, 2026Enterococcus 10
- Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026Enterococcus under 10
- Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026Enterococcus under 10
- Monday, Dec 29, 2025Enterococcus under 100.37 in of rain in the 3 days before
- Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025Enterococcus 100.36 in of rain in the 3 days before
- Monday, Oct 13, 2025Enterococcus 100.72 in of rain in the 3 days before
- Tuesday, Sep 9, 2025Enterococcus under 10
- Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025Enterococcus under 10
- Tuesday, Aug 19, 2025Enterococcus 22
- Monday, Aug 11, 2025Enterococcus 10
Enterococcus and coliform bacteria live in the guts of people and animals. Health departments test for them because they travel with sewage, runoff and animal waste, so a high count is a warning that germs that do make people sick are likely in the water too. Clear water can still be contaminated: bacteria and viruses are too small to see.
San Diego County's DNA test (ddPCR) counts bacterial DNA instead of growing the bacteria in a lab, so it returns results the same day. Its numbers run higher than the older lab tests, which is why its safe limit is 1,413 rather than 104. The two are never compared on this page.
San Diego County's health department says swimming in water under an advisory can cause stomach illness, such as diarrhea and vomiting, and skin and ear infections. The EPA's national swimming guidelines are set at a level where about 32 to 36 of every 1,000 swimmers would get a stomach illness. A study of San Diego surfers found about 12 extra stomach-illness cases per 1,000 in wet weather, highest during rain and the day after, and back near normal 3 days later.
The grade is Nautical Nick's, built on the official limits: A is a quarter of the limit or less, B half or less, C under the limit, D over it, and F more than 10 times over. When a county posts an advisory or closes a beach, its sign is the final word.
Sources: California State Water Board beach test results; San Diego County Department of Environmental Health sample reports; Surfrider Foundation Blue Water Task Force; National Weather Service daily rain totals via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet (Bellingham Intl). Limits: California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 7958.