Indian Rocks Beach

Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

Indian Rocks Beach has been the local's and part-time resident's beach for years. In a county that has a great deal of tourism and tourist type attractions, this beach is mostly beach cottages, restaurants, and small hotels and condos. In the past there have been very few high rise beach condos on this beach and a great deal of public objection to any zoning decision that allows for tall buildings. Due to decisions to keep Indian Rocks beach void of large buildings, it has maintained a relatively quaint feel for such a population dense county.

This beach is a great place for relaxing with family and friends. The surf is usually very low so surfing isn't common but you will see many local teenagers and young adults skim boarding and boogy boarding. Parking can be challenging because the one major lot fills up very quickly. There are smaller beach access with very minimal parking so get to the beach early and bring cash for meters. Luckily, within walking distance there are a few beach restaurants and convenience stores for refreshments during the day.

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality
  • Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time

  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on October 24th, 2022. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on November 10th, 2022 at 6:58 AM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
10°C
Clear
Monitoring Frequency

Indian Rocks Beach is sampled weekly from January 1st to December 31st.

Source Information

Water quality results displayed at this location were collected by the City of St. Petersburg Environmental Compliance Division. Weekly testing is conducted on Wednesday and results are usually posted on Thursday. If the test indicates sub-par water quality, testing will be performed again the following day. Results of the second test will be posted on Friday. If the second test still indicates poor quality, an advisory will be issued for the sampling site.

City of St. Petersburg tests for levels of enterococci, a type of bacteria that indicates that pathogenic bacteria and viruses associated with fecal pollution may be present. These bacteria are known as fecal indicator bacteria (FIB).

Florida Administrative Code, based on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria have the following rating criteria: Good= 0-35 CFU/MPN enterococci / 100 mL of marine water; Moderate= 36-70 CFU/MPN enterococci / 100 mL of marine water; and Poor= 71 CFU/MPN or greater enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

Swim Guide uses the thresholds for water quality based on the Florida Administrative Code.
A beach is marked green (pass) when the sample results are equal or below 70 Enterococci / 100 ML water. A beach is marked red(fail) when the sample results are above 70 Enterococci / 100 ML water, according to EPA water quality guidelines. Data more than a week old will revert to “historical status”; clicking the pie chart icon will reveal a summary of the prior yearly or monthly pass/fail data. A sampling location is marked grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

Indian Rocks Beach

Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality
  • Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on October 24th, 2022. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on November 10th, 2022 at 6:58 AM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
10°C
Clear

Indian Rocks Beach has been the local's and part-time resident's beach for years. In a county that has a great deal of tourism and tourist type attractions, this beach is mostly beach cottages, restaurants, and small hotels and condos. In the past there have been very few high rise beach condos on this beach and a great deal of public objection to any zoning decision that allows for tall buildings. Due to decisions to keep Indian Rocks beach void of large buildings, it has maintained a relatively quaint feel for such a population dense county.

This beach is a great place for relaxing with family and friends. The surf is usually very low so surfing isn't common but you will see many local teenagers and young adults skim boarding and boogy boarding. Parking can be challenging because the one major lot fills up very quickly. There are smaller beach access with very minimal parking so get to the beach early and bring cash for meters. Luckily, within walking distance there are a few beach restaurants and convenience stores for refreshments during the day.

Monitoring Frequency

Indian Rocks Beach is sampled weekly from January 1st to December 31st.

Source Information

Water quality results displayed at this location were collected by the City of St. Petersburg Environmental Compliance Division. Weekly testing is conducted on Wednesday and results are usually posted on Thursday. If the test indicates sub-par water quality, testing will be performed again the following day. Results of the second test will be posted on Friday. If the second test still indicates poor quality, an advisory will be issued for the sampling site.

City of St. Petersburg tests for levels of enterococci, a type of bacteria that indicates that pathogenic bacteria and viruses associated with fecal pollution may be present. These bacteria are known as fecal indicator bacteria (FIB).

Florida Administrative Code, based on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria have the following rating criteria: Good= 0-35 CFU/MPN enterococci / 100 mL of marine water; Moderate= 36-70 CFU/MPN enterococci / 100 mL of marine water; and Poor= 71 CFU/MPN or greater enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

Swim Guide uses the thresholds for water quality based on the Florida Administrative Code.
A beach is marked green (pass) when the sample results are equal or below 70 Enterococci / 100 ML water. A beach is marked red(fail) when the sample results are above 70 Enterococci / 100 ML water, according to EPA water quality guidelines. Data more than a week old will revert to “historical status”; clicking the pie chart icon will reveal a summary of the prior yearly or monthly pass/fail data. A sampling location is marked grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

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