Costa del Sol and Málaga beaches by water quality: from poor grades in 1990 to eight seasons of excellent everywhere

In 1990, one in four tested bathing points on the Málaga coast was graded poor: 9 of 38. In 2025, all 97 were excellent, and that has held for 8 seasons in a row, since 2018. The last point to drop below excellent was at Venus-Bajadilla in Marbella, in 2017. Below: every beach's record, the city of Málaga on its own, and the sea month by month at the east and west ends of the coast.

Here the Costa del Sol means the whole coast of Málaga province, from Manilva in the west to Nerja in the east. Sampling points sit in 14 municipalities, on 85 beaches that are still tested. We cover 14 places on this coast; Alhaurín de la Torre lies back from the sea and has no points of its own. EEA register.

What excellent means

The grade is not about sand or the view. All through the bathing season, water is drawn at the same spots and tested for two kinds of gut bacteria. The class is worked out from four summers, not one: the current season and the three before it. So a single spill after a storm barely moves it, while a point with bad samples for several years takes a long time to climb back. EU directive.

There are four steps: excellent, good, sufficient and poor. The first three pass the standard. With poor, bathing is banned or advised against, and the beach has to say so. European Environment Agency.

36 seasons: from poor to an unbroken run

The series starts badly. In 1990, 38 points were tested and 9 were graded poor. The first season with no point below excellent was 1993. Such seasons came again, but one at a time: 1993, 2008 and 2011. Before the last of them the water wobbled: in 2010, 10 points were below excellent, and the next year none were.

The last poor grades came in 2007, both in Fuengirola: Playa Fuengirola and Playa San Francisco. The last grade below excellent came in 2017, at one point in Marbella. Since 2018 the run has not broken. Over all 36 seasons the coast collected 3,042 point grades, and 160 of them were below excellent: 5%.

In 2025, every point was also excellent in 2 other provinces: Almería (8 seasons in a row) and Huelva (6 seasons in a row). On the Costa Blanca next door, in Alicante province, 8 points were below excellent that season.

The city of Málaga's beaches

Within the city limits there are 16 points on 14 beaches; La Caleta has two. They have been tested since 1991, and for 16 seasons in a row, since 2010, all have been excellent. That is longer than the coast as a whole. The last city beach below excellent was Sacaba, in 2009.

7 city beaches have never been graded below excellent: La Arana, Cemento, Penon del Cuervo, El Candado, Pedregalejos-Acacias, Malagueta and El Dedo. The early nineties were the hard part. The city had poor grades in 1991–1992, 1995, 2004, the last at Campo de Golf in 2004. Málaga in our database.

Marbella: the coast's last slip

Marbella has 11 points on 11 beaches. One of them was the last on the whole coast to drop below excellent, at Venus-Bajadilla. Its record since 1991: poor 1991, sufficient 1996, poor 2002, poor 2004, sufficient 2010, good 2013, sufficient 2014–2016, good 2017. Since 2018, excellent without a break.

Marbella's other beaches are steadier. 4 had a poor grade at some point: Puerto Banus (poor 2005), Guadalmina-San Pedro (poor 1990), La Fontanilla-Faro (poor 1999, 2002 and sufficient 2003–2004, 2006–2007) and Nagueles (poor 1990). Never below excellent: Los Monteros, Artola, Las Chapas, Nueva Andalucia and El Faro. Marbella in our database.

Torremolinos: all the trouble in the first three years

All 6 of Torremolinos's points have been tested since 1990. In the first seasons up to 5 of them were below excellent at once: 5 in 1990, 5 in 1991 and 4 in 1992. Since 1993, none: 33 seasons in a row. And two municipalities in the west, Casares and Manilva, have never had a grade below excellent. Torremolinos in our database.

14 municipalities, west to east

«Grades, all seasons» is summed over points: a point tested for 36 years gives 36 grades. Points no longer tested stay in the history.

The sea: the east is warmer in summer, not in winter

The coast runs east to west, and in summer the water at its two ends differs. In August it is 24.5 °C at Nerja and 22.1 °C at Estepona. In winter there is almost no gap: 15.6 °C against 15.8 °C in January. So the east has more months with water at 20 °C or above: 5 at Nerja, 4 in Málaga, 3 at Estepona. In September all our places hold the line, from 20.8 °C to 22.6 °C. Satellite averages for 2015–2024. NOAA OISST.

September: Spaniards leave, foreigners stay

The coast's hotels see the end of summer in two ways. From August to September 2025, nights by guests living in Spain fell by 47%, nights by guests from abroad by 4%. A hotel night went from €208 to €162, and occupancy from 81.5% to 71.3%. The water is still summer water. Nights, room price, occupancy.

All 85 Costa del Sol beaches

In 2025 every beach was excellent, so the table sorts by the past. At the top: beaches with no season below, oldest records first; 7 of them have been tested since 1990–1991 with no gaps. There are 32 such beaches in all.

Further

All our places on this coast, with prices, winter and population, are on the Costa del Sol page. The next coast along, measured the same way: Costa Blanca and Alicante beaches. All provinces side by side: Spain's cleanest beaches; how many months a year people swim on each coast: the swimming season guide.

Water at every place in our base is in our dataset, and the sea by month in the sea temperature dataset.

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