Updated Jul 20, 6:00 AM

Elgin County · Lake Erie North Shore

Beach Conditions

Live water quality, lake temperature, wind and waves for Port Stanley, Port Bruce, Port Burwell and Port Glasgow. Every Lake Erie beach in Elgin County, refreshed every hour so you know before you go.

6:03 AM · 8:58 PM UV 0 · Low Lifeguards (Port Stanley Main Beach): Today 11 AM – 6 PM 6 of 7 tested beaches open · 1 advisory

Beach areaWaterWind · km/hWavesWater tests

Port Stanley3 beaches 24° N 7 0.09 m Port Bruce1 beach 24° NE 9 0.11 m Port Burwell2 beaches 24° NNW 9 0.08 m Port Glasgow1 beach 24° NE 4 0.1 m

Plan your beach day

Today’s Outlook

Right now 12° · Sunny H 25° · L 12°

Temp Rain chance

St. Thomas area forecast · Includes weather data from Google

Wave Outlook · Next Few Hours

Wave model sampled at an open-water point off each beach · Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Elgin County shoreline

Beach Status Map

Pin colour =
latest water test

Open

Advisory

Closed

No sample

3 monitored beaches

Port Stanley

~15 min from St. Thomas

24°C

Water

N 7

Offshore · km/h

0.09 m

Waves

On duty

11 AM – 6 PM

Water Quality · Weekly Tests Sampled Jul 14

Main Beach

Open

Little Beach

Open

Erie Rest

Open

squares = past 6 weekly tests · newest (ringed) →

Paid lots Blue Flag beach Restaurants & shops Beach access mats

The flagship beach town on Elgin’s shore. Main Beach is a wide, Blue Flag certified sand beach with supervised swimming all summer and the village’s restaurants and ice-cream stops right behind it. Little Beach, tucked east of the harbour, is shallower and a favourite with young families. Erie Rest, on the west side, is the quieter local’s corner. On hot weekends parking fills fast, so arriving before 11 AM makes for an easier day.

Port Stanley’s Main Beach flies green / yellow / red flags for waves and currents, set hour-by-hour by the lifeguard team watching the water. On a changing day, the guards on the sand are the best read of all.

1 monitored beach

Port Bruce

~25 min

24°C

Water

NE 9

Offshore · km/h

0.11 m

Waves

Unsupervised

No lifeguards

Water Quality

Port Bruce Beach

Open

Free parking Picnic park Seasonal snack bars

A small, easygoing sand beach where Catfish Creek meets the lake, backed by a grassy picnic park with washrooms. Free parking near the pier and a couple of seasonal food spots across the road. No lifeguards, so keep swimmers close and check the wind before heading in.

2 monitored beaches

Port Burwell

~40 min

24°C

Water

NNW 9

Offshore · km/h

0.08 m

Waves

Unsupervised

No lifeguards

Water Quality

East/Village Beach

Advisory

Provincial Park Beach

Open

Village lots Dune-backed sand Park day-use fee (PP)

Two beaches split by Big Otter Creek: the village-run East/Village Beach with washrooms and food close by, and the wide, dune-backed sands of Port Burwell Provincial Park (day-use fee applies). Both are unsupervised.

1 monitored beach

Port Glasgow

~45 min

24°C

Water

NE 4

Offshore · km/h

0.1 m

Waves (buoy)

Unsupervised

No lifeguards

Water Quality

Port Glasgow Beach

Open

Marina & campground Lakefront park

West Elgin’s lakeside hamlet at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek, with a quieter sand-and-shingle beach beside the marina and campground. No lifeguards, and the longest drive of the four, but rarely crowded.

Southwestern Public Health

How Water Quality Testing Works

From mid-June to early September, Southwestern Public Health samples every public beach in Elgin County once a week, usually on Mondays. Samples are tested for E. coli, and each beach gets a simple colour status:

Open

No harmful bacteria detected in the latest sample.

Advisory

Elevated E. coli. Swimming is not recommended until the next clean test.

Closed

A significant health or safety risk. Stay out of the water.

No sample

No current result, usually before the season starts or after it ends.

One important catch: lab results lag a day or two behind the water itself. Heavy rain and strong winds can push bacteria levels up quickly between tests. The health unit’s own advice is to skip swimming for about 48 hours after a major rainfall, whatever colour the last test was.

Latest results straight from the source: Southwestern Public Health beach results

Waves, wind & currents

Swim Smart on Lake Erie

Know the flags (Port Stanley Main Beach)

Green means calm water with no significant waves or currents.

Yellow means moderate waves or currents. Extra caution, especially with kids.

Red means strong waves or currents, or an unseen hazard. Stay out of deep water.

Flags are set by lifeguards watching conditions hour by hour, and they can change during the day.

Read the wind

South, southeast or southwest winds blow onshore here. A few hours above ~15 km/h is enough to build waves and dangerous currents.
North winds blow offshore. The water looks deceptively flat, but inflatables and paddleboards get pushed away from shore fast. Keep them tethered or on the sand.
Waves take hours to build and hours to settle. A sunny sky right after a windy spell doesn’t mean calm water yet.

Caught in a current?

Don’t fight it head-on. Swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of the pull, then angle back in.
If you can’t make progress, float, wave an arm and call for help. Conserving energy matters more than distance.

The best source on the sand

Forecasts and test results are a window into the day. They can’t see what’s happening at the waterline right now. If lifeguards are on duty, a 30-second chat about today’s hazards beats any app, including this one.

Water quality: Southwestern Public Health · Wind: HRDPS model at each beach · Waves: RDWPS Lake Erie model at an open-water point off each beach · Backup observations: Buoy 45132 (Port Stanley) · Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada · Lake surface temperature: NOAA GLERL Great Lakes Surface Environmental Analysis · Includes weather data from Google · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

Conditions shown here are automated estimates and can lag or miss local hazards. Always verify with posted signage and lifeguards before swimming.