These Virginia beaches have the lowest sea nettle chance on today's forecast, ranked lightest first. The values come from the VIMS and NOAA Chesapeake Bay sea nettle maps, translated into plain labels. If you want a calmer swim, start at the top of this list.
Remember that this is a forecast of likelihood, not a count of jellyfish in the water, and conditions can change with wind and tide. Always look at the water before you get in.
| Rank | Locality | Condition | Chance | Beach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chesapeake | Light | 0% | Great Bridge Lock Park |
| 2 | Virginia Beach | Light | 4% | Virginia Beach Oceanfront |
| 3 | Hampton | Light | 8% | Buckroe Beach |
| 4 | Norfolk | Light | 8% | Ocean View Beach Park |
| 5 | Poquoson | Light | 13% | Messick Point |
| 6 | Alexandria | Light | 18% | Waterfront Park |
| 7 | Stafford County | Light | 22% | Aquia Landing Park |
| 8 | Gloucester County | Light | 23% | Gloucester Point Beach Park |
| 9 | Yorktown | Light | 23% | Yorktown Beach |
| 10 | Portsmouth | Light | 24% | Paradise Creek Nature Park |
| 11 | York County | Moderate | 26% | Yorktown Beach |
| 12 | Mathews County | Moderate | 28% | Haven Beach |
| 13 | Suffolk | Moderate | 33% | Bennett's Creek Park |
| 14 | Newport News | Moderate | 37% | Huntington Park Beach |
| 15 | Northumberland County | Heavy | 53% | Hughlett Point Natural Area |
| 16 | James City County | Heavy | 63% | Jamestown Beach Event Park |
| 17 | Lancaster County | Heavy | 66% | Windmill Point - Westland Beach |
| 18 | Middlesex County | Heavy | 72% | Urbanna Creek |
| 19 | King George County | Heavy | 72% | Dahlgren Wayside Park |
| 20 | Williamsburg | Heavy | 78% | College Creek shoreline |
| 21 | Westmoreland County | Heavy | 80% | Colonial Beach |
Rankings update daily, so check back before each trip. For the yearly pattern, see the jellyfish season guide, and for practical tips, read how to avoid jellyfish. You can also compare with the worst jellyfish beaches today.
Source maps are model guidance from VIMS and NOAA/NCCOS. They are useful for a quick beach check, but they do not count jellyfish in the water and may not match conditions at every shoreline.