Which beaches near Daytona Beach look safest today?
Daytona Beach is the beach — the city is named for it. The famous drive-on beach stretches for miles, with the boardwalk and pier at the center. New Smyrna Beach and Flagler Beach are nearby alternatives.
Start with beaches that have good current samples, then use recent poor-sample rate and distance as tie-breakers.
Closest beach currently showing a good sample: Flagler Beach (19 mi)
Pick from the good samples first
Use the current sample to narrow the list, then choose the beach with the steadier history if conditions feel uncertain.
Distance is straight-line, not drive time
Some barrier-island routes take longer than they look. Treat the mileage here as planning context, not an ETA.
After heavy rain, wait 72 hours
That rule matters even more if your best-looking option sits near drains, canals, inlets, or urban runoff.
Useful Ways To Browse Beaches Near Daytona Beach
Different views for freshness, recent sample quality, current readings, and caution signals.
Best Bets Near Daytona Beach Right Now
Rain guide →These picks use directly matched beach samples and are sorted by current status first, then by historical spike rate, then by distance.
All Beaches by Distance from Daytona Beach
All monitored beaches →Use this list when you already know how far you want to drive. The smarter short list is above.
Daytona Beach
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Sep 2
Nearby INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY sample · about 1.5 mi · not exact-beach
0 mi
17% poor results
Ormond Beach
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Aug 31
Nearby GRANADA BLVD sample · about 1.2 mi · not exact-beach
5 mi
0% poor results
Ponce Inlet Beach
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Aug 31
Nearby SOUTH JETTY sample · about 2.0 mi · not exact-beach
10 mi
0% poor results
Smyrna Dunes Park
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Aug 31
Nearby SOUTH JETTY sample · about 0.5 mi · not exact-beach
11 mi
0% poor results
New Smyrna Beach
Volusia County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Aug 31
Nearby SOUTH JETTY sample · about 3.4 mi · not exact-beach
14 mi
0% poor results
Flagler Beach
Flagler County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Aug 31
19 mi
0% poor results
Gamble Rogers State Park Beach
Flagler County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Aug 31
22 mi
0% poor results
Marineland Beach
Flagler County · Atlantic Coast · Tested Sep 8
Nearby WASHINGTON OAKS BEACH sample · about 2.5 mi · not exact-beach
34 mi
0% poor results
Beaches Near Daytona Beach That Need More Caution Today
Avoid-today view →No poor or advisory-level beaches in the current nearby set
That is encouraging, but it still is not a live all-clear. Recent rain and stale sample timing should still make you cautious.
Browse This Coastline
These county and regional pages are useful when you want to keep exploring beyond one city search.
Regions
Water Quality Near Daytona Beach
All ratings on this page are based on enterococcus bacteria testing through Florida's Healthy Beaches Program. A reading of 35.4 CFU/100mL or below is treated here as a good sample. Readings at or above 70.5 CFU/100mL are poor and can trigger resampling; Florida issues an advisory if the follow-up result also remains above the threshold.
These are monitored beaches, not live sensors. Sample timing matters. If it has rained heavily since the latest nearby sample on August 31, 2026, lean more conservative even when a beach still shows a good status here.
If you want help interpreting a warning, a moderate result, or a stale sample, read understanding advisories and bacteria testing explained before you lock in a drive.
Disclaimer: Water quality data sourced from the Florida Department of Health Healthy Beaches Program. This is an independent project — not affiliated with Florida DOH or any government agency. Always check with Florida DOH for official conditions.