Water Safety in Delaware

At Delaware's ocean beaches, swim where lifeguards are on duty and ask them about rip currents and surf before you go in. That is the advice of the state's environmental agency, DNREC. Also check DNREC's beach water monitoring map, especially after heavy rain.

Delaware drowning and boating numbers

0.83 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts Delaware's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 0.83 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab), in the lowest band on its map.
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 18 reportable recreational boating incidents in Delaware in 2024, with no deaths and 5 injuries (opens in a new tab). Deaths by year: 6 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 1 in 2023 and 0 in 2024.
• Coast: NOAA lists 381 miles of official shoreline (opens in a new tab) for Delaware, counting the Atlantic, Delaware Bay and the inland bays.

A small state has small numbers, so one year can look very different from the next. CDC counts drowning deaths of residents; the Coast Guard counts boating incidents. See our Delaware data page.

Ocean beaches: lifeguards and rip currents

DNREC's beach page says to always swim at lifeguarded beaches and check with lifeguards about rip tides and high surf (opens in a new tab). Lifeguards know the conditions on that stretch of sand that day.

Rip currents are the main ocean hazard. NOAA says they can move at speeds of up to eight feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer (opens in a new tab), and the National Weather Service notes that rip currents often form on calm, sunny days (opens in a new tab). If one pulls you, the Weather Service steps (opens in a new tab) are:

• Stay calm and float. It pulls you away from shore, not under.
• Don't swim straight back against it.
• Swim parallel to the beach until you are free, then angle back.
• Wave and yell for help.

Practice the steps with our rip current guide, and teach children the basics with ocean safety for kids.

Beach water quality

DNREC tests beaches statewide for Enterococcus, a bacteria that signals pollution that can make swimmers sick if their head goes under. It explains that illness risk exists in all natural waters and is higher for children under 5, people over 65 (opens in a new tab), and people with certain medical conditions or weak immune systems.

Testing is not daily, and lab results come back the next day. So DNREC says its data should not be viewed as a yes-or-no indicator of swimming safety (opens in a new tab). Instead it reports a 30-day average. For ocean beaches from Lewes to Fenwick, it issues a swimming advisory when that average is too high, or when two samples in a row exceed the standard. Water quality can change quickly after rain, so treat the map as general guidance. Read more in is the water safe to swim in?

Delaware boating rules

DNREC says persons born on or after January 1, 1978 must complete a boating safety course before operating a motorized boat, including a personal watercraft, on Delaware waters. Course details are on DNREC's boating safety page (opens in a new tab). Federal law requires children under 13 to wear a life jacket on a moving boat (opens in a new tab).

This is a summary, not legal advice. Check DNREC before you go.

Official Delaware resources

• DNREC recreational water quality map and alerts (opens in a new tab)
• DNREC boating safety and courses (opens in a new tab)

What you can do today

• Plan your beach day around lifeguard hours, and set up near the stand.
• Ask the lifeguard about rip currents and surf before anyone goes in.
• Check DNREC's water quality map before swimming, and skip a swim after heavy rain.
• Take a boating safety course if you were born in 1978 or later.
• Find swim lessons with our guide to finding swim lessons.