Rainbow Haven Beach

Managed by Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050

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Rainbow Haven Beach is a large, picturesque site. It is a popular choice amongst local beachgoers – for good reason. Rainbow Haven Beach is located at the endpoint of Cole Harbor; approximately 30 minutes outside of downtown Halifax and it is worth the trip to see this beach! On-site, there are plenty of available parking spaces.

Rainbow Haven Beach is characterized by a 400 metre stretch of sand and cobblestone next to the wide open Atlantic Ocean. Despite the spacious location, crowding is a real possibility on busy days during the summertime (however, this is just a testament to its popularity). In proximity to the beach, there are washrooms, changing rooms, showers, and a canteen. From July 1 to August 31, there are provincial lifeguards on the beach from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on fair weather days only to ensure safety amongst its visitors. Leading up to the beach, there is a boardwalk which makes the beach wheelchair accessible.

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Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on July 1st, 2022. Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050 updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on July 2nd, 2022 at 11:28 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

10°C

Clear and sunny

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service collects samples at designated beaches from mid-May to Labour Day. All designated beaches are tested for E. coli and some saltwater beaches are tested for Enterococci. When bacteria counts exceed the provincial standard, the beach is considered to be unsafe for swimming and warning signs are posted at the beach.

Beaches sampled on 3 schedules based on the risk of bacteria contamination due to location. Level A beaches are tested weekly, Level B beaches are tested 3 times per summer, and level C beaches are tested twice per summer. Swim Guide checks the NSLS website daily from Monday - Friday for water quality news releases.

For more information on beach openings and closures, call the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service Beach Information Line at 902-477-6168 or visit www.nsls.ns.ca.

The Nova Scotia Life Saving Society follows the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality. A beach is considered to meet guidelines when test results are below 200 E.Coli per 100 ml for freshwater, and 35 Enterococci per 100 ml for marine water.

Swim Guide is not able to directly share monitoring data for these beaches on an ongoing basis as test dates are not available. Therefore, the swim icon will display the historical status unless a posted advisory is issued, in which case the beach will be marked red until re-testing results show bacteria levels have met the Canadian standard.

Water Quality Graph