Check the Beach

Shell Beach

South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, United States

Shell Beach 4 photos

  • Beach pavilion at Lighthouse Point Park, with Southwest Ledge Light in the distance, New Haven

    Beach pavilion at Lighthouse Point Park, with Southwest Ledge Light in the distance, New Haven. Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

  • Five Mile Point Light and Lighthouse Point Park, New Haven

    Five Mile Point Light and Lighthouse Point Park, New Haven. Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

  • Five Mile Point Light and the New Haven skyline, Connecticut

    Five Mile Point Light and the New Haven skyline, Connecticut. Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

  • Lighthouse Point Carousel in Lighthouse Point Park

    Lighthouse Point Carousel in Lighthouse Point Park. Jllm06, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

Today at a glance

Best: 8 am to sunset, sunset 5:58 pm
8 am
6.6
23 km/h14 mph wind, Good
9 am
6.7
22 km/h14 mph wind, Good
10 am
6.7
22 km/h13 mph wind, Good
11 am
6.9
19 km/h12 mph wind, Good
12 pm
6.9
19 km/h12 mph wind, Good
1 pm
6.9
19 km/h12 mph wind, Good
2 pm
7.0
18 km/h11 mph wind, Great
3 pm
7.2
16 km/h10 mph wind, Great
4 pm
7.2
16 km/h10 mph wind, Great
5 pm
7.4
13 km/h8 mph wind, Great

This page puts what matters first for today's conditions.

Best time to swim

Best: 8 am to sunset. Beach score for daylight hours, with wind in km/hmph underneath.

Air
12°C53°F
Water
17°C62°F
Wind
2616 km/hmph N
Gusts
5031 km/hmph
Waves
0.4 m1 ft
UV
0 low
Tide
rising
Rain
0%
Sunset
5:58 pm
Today
6.6Good8 am2314
6.7Good9 am2214
6.7Good10 am2213
6.9Good11 am1912
6.9Good12 pm1912
6.9Good1 pm1912
7.0Great2 pm1811
7.2Great3 pm1610
7.2Great4 pm1610
7.4Great5 pm138
Sat
5.0Fair8 am138
5.0Fair9 am127
5.3Fair10 am85
6.9Good11 am64
6.1Good12 pm64
6.7Good1 pm117
7.0Great2 pm138
7.1Great3 pm149
7.1Great4 pm1610
7.2Great5 pm159
Green, 7 and upYellow, 4 to 7Red, under 4Best stretch

Tide, next 24 hours

Tide rising now. High at 8 am, 0.8 m. Low at 2 pm, -1.6 m. High at 9 pm, 0.7 mHigh 8 am, 0.8 m2 ftLow 2 pm, -1.6 m5 ftHigh 9 pm, 0.7 m2 ftNow9 am3 pm9 pm3 am
  • High 8 am, 0.8 m2 ft
  • Low 2 pm, -1.6 m5 ft
  • High 9 pm, 0.7 m2 ft

Tide is modeled, not measured. Rip current and water quality data are not available for this beach yet.

Beach info

Lifeguards, parking and facilities before you head down.

Facilities

  • LifeguardStation 320 m0.2 mi awayOpenStreetMap lists a lifeguard station.
  • Restrooms320 m0.2 mi away
  • Parking4 within 500 m0.3 miNearest 240 m790 ft. Fee not listed
  • Food and drink2 within 1 km0.6 mi
  • Picnic tables380 m0.2 mi away
  • Playground420 m0.3 mi away

Getting there

Nearest bus stop
800 m0.5 mi
Nearest town
1.5 km0.9 miMorris Cove (village)
Nearest airport
2 km1 miTweed New Haven Airport (HVN)

Facilities from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Check posted signs; details change. Data sources

Nearby beaches

Where to stay near the beach

Compare hotels and apartments near Shell Beach.

Partner links

Beachfront rooms go first on warm weekends.

Loads the map from Stay22, our stays partner.

Hotel results come from our stays partner. We may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the beach score.

The days ahead

Best score each day, with the stretch to aim for.

  • Sat7.2 GreatBest 1 pm to 6 pmWind up to 16 km/h10 mph, rain 0%
  • Sun7.8 GreatBest 8 am to 6 pmWind up to 10 km/h6 mph, rain 0%
  • Mon8.3 GreatBest 12 pm to 6 pmWind up to 10 km/h6 mph, rain 0%
  • Tue7.4 GreatBest 9 am to 6 pmWind up to 17 km/h11 mph, rain 0%
  • Wed5.5 GoodBest 8 am to 9 amWind up to 10 km/h6 mph, rain 1%
  • Thu7.3 GreatBest 10 am to 6 pmWind up to 12 km/h8 mph, rain 2%