the beach today
Cape Cod National Seashore

Coast Guard
Beach

Outer Cape Time

The outer Cape at its most dramatic -- a wide barrier beach between the roaring Atlantic and Nauset Marsh, backed by the historic Coast Guard station and ranked among America's finest.

Today on the Sand

loading live data…

Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Garages, lots & meters

Sunset

Sunset countdown & live cam

Dining

Where to eat after the sand

Things to Do

Cruises, sails & tours

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Coast Guard Beach

Outer Cape, Cape Cod National Seashore

Shuttle required summer

Nauset Light Beach

1 mi north, National Seashore

Classic lighthouse views

Nauset Beach

Orleans, 5 mi south

Big surf, great family beach

Marconi Beach

Wellfleet, dramatic cliffs

Remote and wild

First Encounter Beach

Bay side -- flat and calm

Warm water, tidal flats

Head of the Meadow

Truro, quieter seashore beach

Uncrowded, dunes

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Orleans

5 min south

Seafood, bakery and farm stands -- the gateway to the outer Cape

Wellfleet

20 min north

World-famous oysters, galleries and the Wellfleet Drive-In

Provincetown

40 min north

Race Point, art scene and the most dramatic sunsets on the Cape

Chatham

15 min south

Chatham Lighthouse, the Fish Pier and charming Main Street shopping

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Coast Guard Beach. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Coast Guard Beach, the water is 63°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 77°F but feels like 82°F. Wind is 6 mph from the SSW and the UV index peaks at 6 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 26 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 2 PM. Today’s tides: High 12:55 AM, Low 5:46 AM, High 1:21 PM, Low 6:31 PM. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.