the beach today
Atlantic Coast Guide

Virginia
Beach

Life at the Beach

Everything for a day on the three-mile Boardwalk: conditions, oceanfront parking, the Rudee Inlet sunset and where to eat after the sand.

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

Oceanfront garages & lots

Rudee Inlet

Inlet sunset over the boats

Dining

She-crab soup & fresh seafood

Things to Do

Dolphin & whale-watch cruises

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

The Resort Beach

Three-mile Boardwalk · 2nd to 40th St

City lots & garages

Croatan Beach

Local surf beach south of Rudee

Small paid lot

North End

Quiet residential sand · 42nd St up

Street parking

Chesapeake Beach

Calm bay side · aka Chic's Beach

Sunset side

First Landing

State park beach on the bay · Cape Henry

State park · fee

Sandbridge

Wide, quiet strand · 20 min south

Free lot · fills fast

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Norfolk

25 min west

Nauticus, the battleship Wisconsin & waterfront

Sandbridge

20 min south

Quiet strand, Back Bay & False Cape

Cape Charles

Over the CBBT

Eastern Shore town with bay-side sunsets

Williamsburg

1 hr northwest

Colonial Williamsburg & Busch Gardens

see you on the sand

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

Right now at Virginia Beach, the water is 78°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 81°F. Wind is 11 mph from the SE and the UV index peaks at 7 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 48 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 4 PM. Today’s tides: High 12:12 AM, Low 6:17 AM, High 12:43 PM, Low 7:22 PM. Dogs are allowed right now. Allowed until May 28.