Is the sea water quality good in Dorset?

Dorset has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 98/100 (17 of 20 rated sites Excellent, 1 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 98 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 Dorset 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. Dorset has 21 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 / Dorset

Dorset — Bathing Water Quality 2025

Gera Bathing Water Score: 98/100

What is the bathing water quality in Dorset?

Dorset has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 98/100 for the 2025 bathing season, based on 20 EA-rated sites: 17 Excellent, 3 Good, 0 Sufficient, 1 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 Score98 / 100Ranked 19 of 68 local authorities. 17 Excellent, 1 Poor (2025 season).How this index is calculated

Bathing water sites in Dorset

EA bathing water classifications — Dorset, 2025 season
Site	Type	2025 rating	GBWS	Seasons
Charmouth West	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Church Ope Cove	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Durdle Door East	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Durdle Door West	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Eypemouth	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Hive	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Kimmeridge Bay	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Lulworth Cove	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Portland Harbour Castle Cove	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Portland Harbour Sandsfoot Castle	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Ringstead Bay	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Seatown	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Shell Bay North	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Studland Knoll House	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Swanage Central	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
West Bay (West)	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Weymouth Lodmoor	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bowleaze Cove	Coastal	Good	85/100	6
Lyme Regis Front Beach	Coastal	Good	85/100	6
Weymouth Central	Coastal	Good	85/100	6

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Dorset bathing water — FAQ

Is the sea water quality good in Dorset?: Dorset has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 98/100 (17 of 20 rated sites Excellent, 1 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 98 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 Dorset 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. Dorset has 21 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)).