Michigan Travelers

Coronado is one of the best beach towns in Southern California, and a trip here is worth planning even if you’ve seen headlines about water quality. While we agree cross-border sewage contamination is a real, ongoing problem tied to wastewater flowing up from Tijuana, there’s an important distinction that gets lost in those headlines: the beach itself never closes. Only the water does.

That might sound like a technicality, but it changes what a day in Coronado actually looks like. The sand, the sunsets, and everything on shore stay open no matter what, which is a big part of why we still consider this one of the best beach towns in the country, even on a day when a swim advisory is in effect. And when the water is open, you can trust that it’s genuinely safe: San Diego County now uses droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) testing, a highly sensitive, DNA-based method that checks for contamination daily and posts same-day results. It’s one of the most rigorous water testing standards in the country, so an open beach here means the science has actually backed it up, not just a guess based on how the water looks.

What “beach closed” actually means here

When you see a “closure” or “advisory” for Coronado, San Diego County isn’t roping off the sand. They’re telling you not to go in the water. The mile-long stretch of Coronado Beach (the sand, the dunes, the sunsets, the views of the Hotel del Coronado) stays fully open. You can walk it, run it, bike past it, build sandcastles on it, throw a frisbee, watch the Navy jets, and take in one of the best sunsets in California. The advisory only applies to water contact.

The cause is well-documented: aging and overwhelmed wastewater infrastructure in Tijuana, including a defunct treatment plant and pipelines that have ruptured in recent years, sends contaminated flow north into the Tijuana River Valley and, from there, into the ocean. South County beaches (Imperial Beach, Silver Strand, and Coronado) bear the brunt of it, and it’s an issue local officials, the EPA, and Mexican authorities are actively working to fix, including major pipeline rehabilitation work.

We’re not going to sugarcoat it: water contact closures have been frequent, and some stretches have had long runs of advisories. That’s exactly why the testing behind these decisions matters so much.

How we actually know when it’s safe

Here’s the part most visitors never hear about: Coronado’s water isn’t just checked with an old-school test-and-hope approach. San Diego County uses droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) testing, a DNA-based method that’s more sensitive and far faster than the older bacterial culture tests most of the country still relies on.

A few things that make this meaningful for anyone planning a trip:

• It’s science, not guesswork. ddPCR counts Enterococcus bacteria, a standard indicator of fecal contamination, directly from water samples using EPA-approved methodology developed with UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
• It’s fast. Because the method doesn’t require growing bacteria in a lab overnight, the county can post same-day results, rather than making swim decisions off water quality from a day or two earlier.
• It’s expanding. The program has grown to cover more than 70 miles of San Diego County shoreline, with daily sampling at the most impacted South County sites, including multiple stations right here in Coronado.
• It’s conservative on purpose. Because ddPCR is more sensitive than older methods, it can flag contamination the old tests would have missed. That means when a Coronado beach is open for water contact, it’s been cleared by one of the most rigorous testing standards in the country, not just a visual check for clear water.

If you want to check conditions before you go, San Diego County posts current advisories and closures for every beach station, updated daily.

So what do you do if the water’s off-limits when you visit?

Plenty. Coronado was never a one-trick beach town, and locals treat a water advisory as a mild inconvenience, not a trip-ending event. Here’s how to spend the day:

Walk or bike the whole island. Coronado is flat, compact, and genuinely one of the most bike-friendly towns in the region. Rent a beach cruiser near the Hotel del Coronado and ride the Bayshore Bikeway along the Silver Strand, or just wander the residential streets and take in the architecture.

Post up at the Ferry Landing. On the bay side of the island, the Coronado Ferry Landing has shops, restaurants, a small protected beach, and unbeatable views back across the water to the downtown San Diego skyline, plus it’s simply a different body of water than the ocean-facing shoreline.

Take the ferry to downtown San Diego. It’s a short, scenic ride across the bay to the Embarcadero and Seaport Village, and a fun outing on its own even if you’re just there for the views.

Play a round at Coronado Golf Course. An 18-hole public course, established in 1957, with views of the Coronado Bridge and the bay. Presidents have played it; you can too.

Wander Orange Avenue. The island’s main strip runs between the bay and the ocean and is lined with restaurants, boutiques, and local favorites like Miguel’s for Mexican food or Coronado Brewing Company for a pint.

Relax in the parks. Spreckels Park has shaded lawns and a playground that’s great for families; Centennial Park is a quiet, scenic perch for sunset views over the bay.

Tour the Hotel del Coronado. Even without touching the water, the Victorian-era “Del” is a National Historic Landmark worth exploring for its architecture and history alone.

The bottom line

Coronado’s sewage water problem is real, it’s frustrating, and it’s something the county and federal agencies are actively working to solve. But it doesn’t close the beach, and thanks to rigorous, science-backed ddPCR testing, when the water is open, you can trust that decision. Check the day’s water quality status before you head out, plan a backup activity just in case, and come see why people still call this stretch of sand one of the best beaches in the country.