Water Safety in Mississippi

On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, check the state's beach advisories before you swim, skip the water during and for 24 hours after heavy rain, and learn the beach flag colors. Inland and on the coast, wear a life jacket on every boat. Mississippi's drowning rate is among the highest on CDC's state map.

Mississippi drowning and boating numbers

1.85 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts Mississippi's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 1.85 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab), in the highest of its four map bands.
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 20 reportable recreational boating incidents in Mississippi in 2024, with 1 death and 12 injuries (opens in a new tab). Deaths by year: 6 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 7 in 2023 and 1 in 2024.
• Coast: NOAA lists 359 miles of official shoreline (opens in a new tab) for Mississippi, a figure that follows its sounds, bays and offshore islands.

CDC counts all drowning deaths of residents and the Coast Guard counts boating incidents, so a high drowning rate and a low boating count can both be true. See our Mississippi data page.

Gulf Coast beach water quality

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) runs a Beach Monitoring Program that tests the water at Gulf Coast beaches. When bacteria levels are too high, it issues a beach water contact advisory. Its notices explain that the beaches are not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated with swimming in these areas (opens in a new tab). Advisories are lifted when later samples test safe.

Two rules of thumb from MDEQ:

• Rain: the Beach Task Force has a standing recommendation that swimming should not occur during or within 24 hours of significant rainfall (opens in a new tab).
• Where to look: advisory information is posted first on MDEQ's beach monitoring website, beaches.mdeq.ms.gov. After Labor Day 2026, routine advisories moved to posted beach signs and the website, so look for signs at the beach too.

Read is the water safe to swim in? for more about bacteria and algae.

Beaches, flags and lifeguards

Many Gulf beaches use colored warning flags. The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee explains the system used along the Gulf: double red flags mean the water is closed (opens in a new tab), red means high hazard, yellow medium, green low, and purple dangerous marine life. No flag does not mean safe water. See beach warning flags.

Lifeguards are not on every beach. At Gulf Islands National Seashore, lifeguards may be on duty (opens in a new tab) at the designated swim beach on the south shore of Ship Island from mid-May through August. At other times and places, you swim at your own risk. Learn how to escape a rip current before you go.

Mississippi boating rules

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says any person born after June 30, 1980 (opens in a new tab) must complete a boater education course before operating a boat in Mississippi. 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 MDWFP before you go.

Official Mississippi resources

• MDEQ beach monitoring and advisories (latest notice) (opens in a new tab)
• MDWFP boater education (opens in a new tab)
• Gulf Islands National Seashore swimming (NPS) (opens in a new tab)

What you can do today

• Check MDEQ's beach advisories before your next coast trip.
• Wait at least 24 hours after heavy rain before swimming in the Gulf.
• Teach your family the beach flag colors.
• Take the boater education course if you were born after June 30, 1980.
• Find swim lessons with our guide to finding swim lessons.