Is the sea water quality good in Isle of Wight?

Isle of Wight has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 97/100 (12 of 15 rated sites Excellent, 0 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 97 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 Isle of Wight 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. Isle of Wight has 15 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 / Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight — Bathing Water Quality 2025

Gera Bathing Water Score: 97/100

What is the bathing water quality in Isle of Wight?

Isle of Wight has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 97/100 for the 2025 bathing season, based on 15 EA-rated sites: 12 Excellent, 3 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 Score97 / 100Ranked 21 of 68 local authorities. 12 Excellent, 0 Poor (2025 season).How this index is calculated

Bathing water sites in Isle of Wight

EA bathing water classifications — Isle of Wight, 2025 season
Site	Type	2025 rating	GBWS	Seasons
Colwell Bay	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Compton Bay	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Cowes	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
East Cowes	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	4
Gurnard	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Seagrove	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Shanklin	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
St Helens	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Totland Bay	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Ventnor	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Whitecliff Bay	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Yaverland	Coastal	Excellent	100/100	6
Bembridge	Coastal	Good	85/100	6
Ryde	Coastal	Good	85/100	6
Sandown	Coastal	Good	85/100	6

Check another area

Compare bathing water quality across local authorities

Check bathing water quality for your area

Pick a local authority to see its Gera Bathing Water Score and all rated sites.

Local authority

97/100

GBWS

Gera Bathing Water Score

21 / 68

Rank

vs other LAs

Total sites

designated bathing waters

Excellent

Good

Sufficient

Poor

Full report for Isle of Wight →

Isle of Wight bathing water — FAQ

Is the sea water quality good in Isle of Wight?: Isle of Wight has a Gera Bathing Water Score of 97/100 (12 of 15 rated sites Excellent, 0 Poor) for the 2025 season. A GBWS of 97 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 Isle of Wight 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. Isle of Wight has 15 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.

Planning a coastal stay or property in Isle of Wight?

GeraHome connects you with vetted local professionals for cleaning, maintenance, and property checks in Isle of Wight and nearby areas.

Find a local home service

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)).