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Travel + Leisure

This Stunning Beach Is the No. 1 'Bacteria Hot Spot' in the U.S.—What Travelers Should Know

Beach season is coming, but some of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S. might be hiding an invisible menace—and might be dangerous for your health. Surfrider Foundation recently released its 2024 Clean Water Report, which ranks the beaches in America that are bacteria hot spots to help raise awareness of water quality issues that affect public health. The No. 1 "bacteria hot spot" in the report is the beach of Kahalu'u in Oahu, Hawaii, with a 92 percent high bacteria rate. That rate means that 92 percent of the samples taken at Kahalu'u beach failed to meet the state health standard for recreational waters, the report states. A close second is Waikomo Stream at Koloa Landing in Poipu, Hawaii, with a high bacteria rate of 90 percent. The top 10 beach bacteria hot spots include beaches on the East Coast, West Coast, and Puerto Rico, as well as Hawaii. All the beaches are important to local communities and can have negative effects on public health. Stormwater and agriculture, industrial, and sewage runoff all contribute to water contamination. This creates "a cocktail of pollutants including road dust, oil, animal waste, fertilizers, and other chemicals," the report states, as well as raw, untreated sewage in some instances. In 2024, the Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) had 60 labs processing more than 10,000 water samples from 604 sites to analyze the water quality. Additionally, the Surfrider Foundation used volunteers to test beaches that are not covered and monitor potential sources of pollution. A shocking 80 percent of the beaches and sites tested gave high bacteria results, exceeding state health standards. 'Here at Surfrider, we believe everyone should have access to clean water to surf, swim, and play in. Improving coastal water quality has been one of our top priorities since the Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1984,' the Surfrider Foundation website states. 'Unfortunately, the President's budget proposal for next year (FY2026) eliminates all funding for the EPA's BEACH Act Grants program that funds beach water quality monitoring and public notification programs in 35 coastal states and territories—which could leave families completely blind to pollution issues at America's beaches.' Surfrider has launched a petition to Congress to reject the proposal to cut EPA funding and support clean water programs that benefit public health. The Surfrider Foundation has volunteers at the 10 top spots to build awareness of the problems with pollution that contribute to the high bacteria content. Ideally, releasing the data will help raise awareness of the problem and fix the sources of pollution and bacteria. Hawaii has a wealth of iconic beaches, so it's important to clean up the ones that ranked poorly for bacteria content and protect the natural beauty of the islands.