Is the sea water quality good in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 100/100 (19 of 19 rated sites Excellent, 0 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 100 reflects a combination of current classification (weighted 60%) and multi-season consistency across all assessed seasons, up to six from 2019–2025 (weighted 40%). This is a high score, indicating consistently good water quality across the area.

What does the Gera Bathing Water Score mean?

The Gera Bathing Water Score (GBWS) combines two components from Environment Agency rBWD annual compliance classifications (key-free open data, OGL v3.0): (1) latest classification score (Excellent=100, Good=75, Sufficient=50, Poor=25), weighted 0.6; and (2) pass-rate across every assessed season available for the site (up to six: 2019, 2021–2025; the proportion rated Sufficient or above), weighted 0.4. Formula: GBWS = round(0.6 × latest_score + 0.4 × pass_rate × 100). Sites with fewer than 3 assessed seasons are shown as 'insufficient data'. The 2020 bathing season was cancelled due to COVID-19 and is excluded. LA-level scores are the mean GBWS of all sites within the LA that have sufficient data. Source: EA BWQ API, seasons 2019, 2021–2025.

How are Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole bathing waters classified?

The Environment Agency classifies each designated bathing water under the Revised Bathing Water Directive (rBWD): Excellent, Good, Sufficient, or Poor, based on 4 seasons of E. coli and intestinal enterococci samples. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 19 designated site(s). Annual classifications are published on the EA's Bathing Water Quality platform.

When is the bathing season?

The official bathing season in England runs from mid-May to the end of September each year. The EA monitors water quality weekly during the season. Outside the season, monitoring is not required and advisories may not be current.

GeraHome / Bathing Water Quality / Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole — Bathing Water Quality 2025

Gera Bathing Water Score: 100/100

What is the bathing water quality in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 100/100 for the 2025 bathing season, based on 19 EA-rated sites: 19 Excellent, 0 Good, 0 Sufficient, 0 Poor. Source: Environment Agency Bathing Water Quality API (OGL v3.0). Gera re-dates this annually.

Source:Environment Agency — Bathing Water Quality API·as of bathing season 2025 (latest completed season)updated annually (last: 20 June 2026)

Gera Bathing Water Score100 / 100Ranked 1 of 68 local authorities. 19 Excellent, 0 Poor (2025 season).How this index is calculated

Bathing water sites in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

EA bathing water classifications — Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 2025 season
Site	Type	2025 rating	GBWS	Seasons
Bournemouth Alum Chine	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Boscombe Pier	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Durley Chine	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Fisherman`s Walk	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Hengistbury West	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Manor Steps	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Pier	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bournemouth Southbourne	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Christchurch Avon Beach	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Christchurch Friar`s Cliff	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Christchurch Highcliffe Castle	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Christchurch Mudeford Sandbank East	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Highcliffe	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Poole Branksome Chine	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Poole Canford Cliffs Chine	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Poole Harbour Lake	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Poole Harbour Rockley Sands	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Poole Sandbanks Peninsular	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Poole Shore Road Beach	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6

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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole bathing water — FAQ

Is the sea water quality good in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 100/100 (19 of 19 rated sites Excellent, 0 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 100 reflects a combination of current classification (weighted 60%) and multi-season consistency across all assessed seasons, up to six from 2019–2025 (weighted 40%). This is a high score, indicating consistently good water quality across the area.
What does the Gera Bathing Water Score mean?: The Gera Bathing Water Score (GBWS) combines two components from Environment Agency rBWD annual compliance classifications (key-free open data, OGL v3.0): (1) latest classification score (Excellent=100, Good=75, Sufficient=50, Poor=25), weighted 0.6; and (2) pass-rate across every assessed season available for the site (up to six: 2019, 2021–2025; the proportion rated Sufficient or above), weighted 0.4. Formula: GBWS = round(0.6 × latest_score + 0.4 × pass_rate × 100). Sites with fewer than 3 assessed seasons are shown as 'insufficient data'. The 2020 bathing season was cancelled due to COVID-19 and is excluded. LA-level scores are the mean GBWS of all sites within the LA that have sufficient data. Source: EA BWQ API, seasons 2019, 2021–2025.
How are Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole bathing waters classified?: The Environment Agency classifies each designated bathing water under the Revised Bathing Water Directive (rBWD): Excellent, Good, Sufficient, or Poor, based on 4 seasons of E. coli and intestinal enterococci samples. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 19 designated site(s). Annual classifications are published on the EA's Bathing Water Quality platform.
When is the bathing season?: The official bathing season in England runs from mid-May to the end of September each year. The EA monitors water quality weekly during the season. Outside the season, monitoring is not required and advisories may not be current.

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Contains public sector information published by Environment Agency and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Environment Agency — Bathing Water Quality API (bathing season 2025 (latest completed season), published 2026 (annual publication)).