Wakulla County·Nature Coast·Gulf Coast
Should you swim at Mashes Sands Beach after rain?
This page is built for the day when a beach looks tempting but recent rain makes the normal badge harder to trust. The displayed readings belong to SHELL POINT, about 3.8 miles away, and were not collected at Mashes Sands Beach.
Current picture
GOOD at SHELL POINT, the nearby station about 3.8 miles away, at 10 CFU/100mL.
Recent-sample context
1 poor samples and 6 non-good samples in the displayed history.
Rain still matters
Stormwater can make this page stale faster than the normal testing schedule, especially after heavy rain.
Wait window
72 hours
Use that as the default buffer after heavy rain before trusting routine samples too much.
Latest poor sample
May 11, 2026
A recent poor sample is a stronger reason to be conservative after runoff.
Displayed-sample spike risk
8%
Lower is better when weather makes your same-day decision harder.
Lower-Risk Nearby Options After Rain
Rain guide →Mexico Beach
Gulf County · Gulf Coast · 64 mi away
Nearby-station context from LOOKOUT BEACH, about 2.2 mi away; not an exact-beach sample.
Nearby-station data · No poor samples in the displayed history · risk 0%
Cape San Blas Beach
Gulf County · Gulf Coast · 66 mi away
Nearby-station context from Cape Palms Public Access, about 3.9 mi away; not an exact-beach sample.
Nearby-station data · No poor samples in the displayed history · risk 0%
Shell Island
Bay County · Gulf Coast · 81 mi away
Nearby-station context from SPYGLASS DRIVE, about 6.6 mi away; not an exact-beach sample.
Nearby-station data · No poor samples in the displayed history · risk 0%
St. Andrews State Park
Bay County · Gulf Coast · 84 mi away
Nearby-station context from SPYGLASS DRIVE, about 1.1 mi away; not an exact-beach sample.
Nearby-station data · No poor samples in the displayed history · risk 0%
Panama City Beach
Bay County · Gulf Coast · 88 mi away
Nearby-station context from PCB Beach Access 11, about 1.1 mi away; not an exact-beach sample.
Nearby-station data · No poor samples in the displayed history · risk 0%
Shell Point Beach
Wakulla County · Gulf Coast · 4 mi away
Last poor sample May 11 · risk 8%
Water Quality History — Latest Samples
Sample source: SHELL POINT (nearby station for Mashes Sands Beach)
Values in CFU/100mL. Green = Good (≤35.4), Yellow = Moderate (35.5–70.4), Red = Poor (≥70.5)
Recent Warning-Sign Samples
Full history →July 7, 2026
70 CFU/100mL · MODERATE
June 8, 2026
56 CFU/100mL · MODERATE
May 26, 2026
40 CFU/100mL · MODERATE
May 13, 2026
40 CFU/100mL · MODERATE
May 11, 2026
78 CFU/100mL · POOR
October 20, 2025
52 CFU/100mL · MODERATE
Keep Exploring Nearby
How To Use This Page
This page is built for the day when a beach looks tempting but recent rain makes the normal badge harder to trust. The displayed readings belong to SHELL POINT, about 3.8 miles away, and were not collected at Mashes Sands Beach.
Use this view as a decision aid, not a guarantee. The latest sample, visible runoff, and recent weather still matter more than any single list or chart.
If you want the main same-day answer instead, go back to the Mashes Sands Beach beach page.
Data from FL DOH Healthy Beaches Program. This is an independent project, not official real-time clearance — check with Florida DOH for official conditions.