Where's the calm sea today?

On a windy day some beaches get rough while the ones facing away stay flat. We rank the beaches you can reach by how sheltered they are from today's wind.

Pick as few or as many as you like. Every step is optional.

Plan your dive

  1. Calm water for swimming, or wind for sports?

  2. Wind and waves: how still should the sea be?

  3. What do you like under your feet?

    Only beaches whose ground type is known.

  4. How far will you go today, and how?

  5. Which part of the forecast should we read?

Where to?

Your location stays on your device. It is never sent or stored.

Where we cover

Find your country on the map

Countries in colour are live now, more are on the way. Point at any country for details, click a live one to see which of its beaches are calm today.

Live now

Coming soon

And this is just the start: country by country, we're working our way around the whole globe.

Pick a place

Calm beaches by island and coast

Which side is sheltered from today's wind in Greece, place by place.

Islands

Mainland coasts

Which side is sheltered from today's wind in Italy, place by place.

Islands

Mainland coasts

Balos Beach, Crete

By the numbers

Calm beach data at a glance

Counted from the map data we use, not estimated.

7,823
Mapped beaches
265
Islands and coasts
2,194
Sandy beaches
1,981
With a bar or taverna close by
358
Secluded beaches
143
With a lifeguard
2
Countries

Balos Beach, Crete · Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0

Shelter by wind direction

Where is the sea calm in each wind?

The wind direction decides which beaches are calm. Waves build over open water, so a beach with land upwind stays sheltered. These are the places where the largest share of beaches stay calm in a strong wind (6 Bft) from each direction. Today's forecast is applied live in the planner at the top of the page.

Beach guides

Find the right kind of beach

A guide for every kind of beach, each one re-ranked live for today's wind.

Pahia Ammos Nudist Beach, Crete

Sea temperature

How warm is the sea, month by month?

The average temperature of the sea near the beaches of each place, from 30 years of satellite measurements (1991–2020).

Warm-water seasonJun – Sept≥ 22 °C
Warmest sea27 °CIsola di Lipari · August
Average in August25 °CIslands and coasts: 265

Pahia Ammos Nudist Beach, Crete · Photo: Maurizio Ceol · CC BY 3.0

Average sea temperature by month, in °C
PlaceJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSeptOctNovDec
MykonosGreece161616161821232423211917
SicilyItaly151515161822252625232017
NaxosGreece161616171922232423211917
SardiniaItaly141414151821242524211816
ParosGreece161616171922232423221917
ElbaItaly141414151822242523211816
SantoriniGreece161616171922242424222018
Amalfi CoastItaly151414161923252624221917
MilosGreece161616171922242524222017
Cinque Terre & LevanteItaly141314151822242523201816
CreteGreece171616171922252625232118
SalentoItaly141414151822252624211815

From June to September the sea is 22 °C or warmer on average, comfortable for most people to swim in. The warmest is Isola di Lipari in August, at about 27 °C. In August the coolest sea is at Lesbos, about 23 °C.

Sea temperature: NOAA OISST v2.1, average of 1991–2020 (public domain). Close to the shore the water can be a degree or two warmer or cooler.

Best time to go

When is the best time to go?

The busiest month is August. In May and October there are about half as many visitors, or fewer. For a calm sea and fewer people, most places are at their best in June and October.

  • Visitors
  • Sea temperature
  • Best

Typical visitor levels by month, averaged over every place we have statistics for: nights spent in tourist accommodation (Eurostat, CC BY 4.0), compared with each place's busiest month. They show when an area is busy, not how crowded one beach is on a given day.

JanFebMarAprMayBestJunJulAugSeptBestOctNovDec15°14°15°16°19°22°24°25°24°22°19°17°
Wind25Exposed96Sheltered

How it works

What makes a beach calm?

Waves are made by wind blowing across open water. The longer the stretch of open sea upwind of a beach, the bigger the waves that arrive. A beach with land close by in the direction the wind comes from stays calm, even on a day when the next bay is rough.

  1. Measure the open sea For every beach, how far the open water reaches in 16 compass directions, from coastline map data.
  2. Apply the forecast The wind forecast for the hours you plan to swim: its direction, strength and gusts.
  3. Score every beach From 0 (rough) to 100 (flat calm), refreshed every 2 hours.

A calm score is about waves, not about safety. Swell from distant storms is not in the forecast, so always follow lifeguard flags and local warnings.

For every beach we measured the open water in 16 compass directions from coastline map data, and combine it with the wind forecast for the hours you plan to swim. The result is a score from 0 (rough) to 100 (flat calm), refreshed every 2 hours. Data: beaches and coastlines from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), wind forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), monthly climate from NASA POWER, visitor levels from Eurostat (CC BY 4.0).

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Short answers about calm seas, wind, water temperature and when to go.

Find a calm beach
How do I find a calm beach near me?

Allow your location in the planner at the top of the page, or pick a place, then choose how far you are willing to travel and when. We rank the beaches within reach by how calm the sea is for those hours. It is free, needs no sign-up, and your location stays in your browser.

Which side of an island is calm today?

The side that faces away from the wind. With a north wind the south-facing beaches are sheltered, with a west wind the east-facing ones. The planner ranks every beach for today's real wind, and the cards above show which places stay calm in each direction.

How do you know which beaches are calm?

For every beach we measured how much open sea lies in each of 16 compass directions, using OpenStreetMap coastlines. Waves build over open water, so a beach with land close by in the direction the wind comes from is sheltered. Today's wind forecast from MET Norway is then applied, and the result is refreshed every 2 hours.

When is the best time to go?

The busiest month is August. For a calm sea and fewer people, most places are at their best in June and October.

How warm is the sea?

From June to September the sea is 22 °C or warmer on average, comfortable for most people to swim in. The warmest is Isola di Lipari in August, at about 27 °C. In August the coolest sea is at Lesbos, about 23 °C.

How many beaches do you cover?

7,823 mapped beaches on 265 islands and coastal areas, of which 2,194 are tagged as sand and 143 have a lifeguard. The list grows as we add places.

Are the forecasts reliable?

They are estimates. The model does not include swell from distant storms, and local gusts can be stronger than forecast. Always follow lifeguard flags and local warnings.

Is calmbeach.day free?

Yes. There is no sign-up and no app to install.

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