If you’re the kind of Sydneysider who times your morning swim to the tides or maps out your weekend around saltwater dips, this one’s for you. The 2025 State of the Beaches report has just dropped, and it’s giving us a clear picture (pardon) of where it’s safest to take a swim this season. The annual report, produced by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Beachwatch Program, monitors 249 swimming sites across NSW, from iconic ocean beaches to tidal lagoons and estuaries. Using national health guidelines, the data measures how suitable each site is for swimming – essentially, how much pollution you’re sharing the water with.

The results? Pretty good news overall. According to the data, 76 per cent of NSW swim sites were graded Good or Very Good, meani

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