Live Beach Webcams

Beach webcams show sand, water and promenades in real time. They are mostly mounted on beach bars, hotels, lifeguard towers and seafront buildings, so the view ranges from a single stretch of sand to a whole bay.

The most common reason to open a beach cam is a quick check before going: how crowded the sand is, whether the sea is flat or rough, which flag is flying on the lifeguard tower, whether seaweed has washed in. Locals use these cameras to see if the wind has picked up, holidaymakers to look at a place before booking, and everyone else simply to watch the sea.

Beaches change with the clock and the calendar. Mornings belong to joggers and dog walkers, afternoons to swimmers, evenings to sunset watchers if the shore faces west. Tides can move the waterline far out and back within hours. Out of season many beaches are empty and some cameras are switched off for the winter, while others keep showing storms, stacked sunbeds and the occasional hardy swimmer.