Local beaches in Kiama have once again scored top ratings in the 2025 State of the Beaches Report, with six monitored beaches in the electorate including Jones, Werri and Shoalhaven Heads scoring ‘very good’.
Out of the 249 sites across NSW, water quality has improved at 23 swimming sites, while a further 179 kept their high score of ‘good’ to ‘very good’.
The water quality of our swimming spots can be impacted by heavy rainfall and run off from overflowing storm water systems. These conditions can lead to unsafe contaminants in our beaches, river and estuaries.
Ocean beaches and tidal pools generally performed better after storms, due to higher levels of flushing which quickly disperses and dilutes pollution, allowing for faster recovery.
95% of the 133 monitored ocean beaches scored between good and very good for water quality.
Estuarine swimming sites, which are more susceptible to stormwater impacts following rainfall, had 63% graded as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, up from last year’s result of 55%.
Beachwatch recommends staying out of the water when it’s raining, and up to three days afterwards, or when the water is murky and littered with debris.
While the State of the Beaches Report provides a long-term assessment of how suitable sites are for swimming, people are encouraged to check water quality before swimming at beachwatch.nsw.gov.au.
To view your local swimming spots on the State of the Beaches website, visit beachwatch.nsw.gov.au/stateofthebeaches.
