How SwimScore works
8 inputs · 3 kinds of water · 4 verdicts
One number for whether to get in.
SwimScore reads the latest forecast for a spot, weighs it for the kind of water it is, then re-reads it for how you swim. You get a number out of 100 and a straight answer, plus the best hours to go.
Live example
Wekiwa Springs State Park
Apopka, FL
Get inFor a typical swimmer, updated .
Step 1 · What it reads
Eight live inputs.
The same forecast data a careful swimmer would check, pulled for the exact spot and refreshed through the day.
- Waves
- Wave height against what that water can take. Sea and ocean spots only.
- Open-Meteo Marine
- Wind
- Speed and gusts. Wind builds chop and chills you at the surface.
- Open-Meteo
- Air temperature
- How getting in and out will feel.
- Open-Meteo
- Rain
- Rain means runoff and murk, so it counts most in rivers.
- Open-Meteo
- UV
- Sunburn risk for the time you’re out.
- Open-Meteo
- Air quality
- Smoke and pollution matter when you’re breathing hard.
- Open-Meteo Air Quality
- Visibility
- Fog and haze: can boats see you, and can you see the shore?
- Open-Meteo
- Tide
- Rising, falling or slack, at coastal spots with a nearby station.
- NOAA (US)
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
Step 2 · Weighed for the water
A lake isn’t a beach.
Each kind of water weighs the inputs differently. Waves and tide don’t exist on a lake; rain matters most in a river. These are the weights SwimScore uses.
Sea & ocean
- Waves20%
- Wind20%
- Air temperature15%
- Rain10%
- UV10%
- Air quality8%
- Visibility7%
- Tide10%
Lake
- Waves—
- Wind28%
- Air temperature25%
- Rain10%
- UV12%
- Air quality10%
- Visibility15%
- Tide—
River
- Waves—
- Wind15%
- Air temperature22%
- Rain30%
- UV10%
- Air quality10%
- Visibility13%
- Tide—
Step 3 · Read for you
Your water, your limits.
Tell SwimPass how you swim and every score is re-read for you. A metre of swell can be a good swim for one person and a stay-dry for another. Your personal SwimScore is free during early access.
Set yours up free- Your levelBeginner to professional sets sensible limits to start from.
- Waves and windThe most you’re happy swimming in.
- TemperatureThe coldest and hottest you’ll swim in.
- SunHow much UV you want the score to worry about.
- Marine lifeWhether jellyfish seasons should count against a spot.
- The swimRelaxed, training or group: training tolerates more chop, a group less.
Step 4 · The answer
Four verdicts.
Every hour of the forecast gets a score, so each spot also shows its best time to swim today. Save a spot and SwimPass emails you when a good window opens, or when conditions turn.
Tell us when a score was wrong. Swimmers’ thumbs up and down tune how each kind of water is scored once there’s enough feedback.
- 80–100
Get in.
Conditions line up. Go swim.
- 60–79
Good swim.
Worth the trip. Check the detail first.
- 40–59
Your call.
Something’s off: wind, waves or weather. Know your limits.
- 0–39
Stay dry.
Not today. Watch for the next window.
Know its limits
What SwimScore can’t see.
It’s a guide to conditions, not a lifeguard. Check these yourself before you swim.
Water quality
Bacteria, sewage and algae aren’t in the score. Check the official advisories for your water.
Currents and rips
Where a spot has known rips or strong currents we flag them, but they can form anywhere. Read the flags and ask the lifeguard.
Closures and local rules
Beaches close, lifeguard hours change and reservations fill up. Our hand-checked spots and local guides link to the official pages.
Your water,
scored for you.
Save your spots, set how you like it, and hear about it when your swim window opens.
Start freeFree to start · No card needed