On the beach
Right now
Sample dataIllustrative conditions — the live Open-Meteo marine feed wasn't reachable, so these are deterministic placeholder values that will be replaced automatically once the feed is available.
7-day outlook
Sample dataModeled placeholder forecast for demonstration — will be replaced by a live marine-weather feed.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 27.8 | 0.4 |
| Thu 3 | 27.3 | 0.4 |
| Fri 4 | 27.2 | 0.4 |
| Sat 5 | 27.4 | 0.4 |
| Sun 6 | 28.0 | 0.4 |
| Mon 7 | 28.3 | 0.4 |
| Tue 8 | 28.2 | 0.4 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Not classified2020
- 2021: Not classified2021
- 2022: Not classified2022
- 2023: Not classified2023
- 2024: Not classified2024
- 2025: Not classified2025
Not classified in the most recent season, and 5 of 5 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Not classified |
| 2021 | Not classified |
| 2022 | Not classified |
| 2023 | Not classified |
| 2024 | Not classified |
| 2025 | Not classified |
Typical sea temperature by month
Modeled estimatePlausible seasonal climatology derived from latitude, for illustration — not a measured average.
Monthly sea temperature
Typical range across the year, °C
View as table
| Month | Typical sea temp (°C) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 15 |
| Feb | 14 |
| Mar | 15 |
| Apr | 17 |
| May | 20 |
| Jun | 23 |
| Jul | 25 |
| Aug | 26 |
| Sep | 25 |
| Oct | 23 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 17 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Uvala Dugovača4.2 kmDrage, Zadar
- Janice4.9 kmPakoštane, Zadar
- Punta5.1 kmPakoštane, Zadar
- Pilatuša Madona6.0 kmPakoštane, Zadar
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- No parking is mapped within 1.5 km of the beach — expect a walk, or arrive early once the season gets busy.
- Ferry: Vrgada, about ~520 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest village: Vrgada, about ~700 m away.
- 8 places to eat within 1 km Closest is Hakuna mattata, about ~40 m away.
- 1 shop nearby, about ~590 m away
What kind of beach is this?
This beach belongs to a small coastal village. It's usually calmer than a resort or town beach, though a popular village spot can still fill up on the best summer days.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
Is the water clean at Gradina?
Gradina sits on a stretch of coast classed as a coastal bathing site, carrying an official EU Bathing Water rating of Not classified for the 2025 season. Under the EU Bathing Water Directive, national authorities test for intestinal enterococci and E. coli through the season and report the results the following spring — the 2025 rating was published in spring 2026, and 2026's won't follow until spring 2027. In addition to that yearly rating, some national authorities — for Croatia, IZOR (Croatia's Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries) — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It sits in Vrgada, Zadar.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 5 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. If you're timing a visit around water temperature rather than crowds, July–September is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch.
“Not classified” is one point on a four-step scale — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — assigned once per year from that season's water samples, not a live reading. It describes how the site performs on average across the season, not the exact water quality this afternoon; for day-to-day sea conditions, see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above. There are 8 places to eat within a kilometre — Hakuna mattata is the closest, about ~40 m away.
Frequently asked questions
Should you swim at Gradina?
Best to be careful here: Gradina's official 2025 classification is Not classified, so check for local advisories and posted flags before swimming.
What's the current water temperature at Gradina?
For Gradina, the ~28°C figure above is a stand-in value, not a live reading — the marine-weather feed was unreachable when the page last built, and it'll swap in automatically once the feed responds again. That's the reading right off Vrgada, Zadar. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When is the best time to swim at Gradina?
For the warmest water, aim for July–September — that's when the modeled sea temperature is typically at its best. That applies to the water around Vrgada, Zadar. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
How is bathing water quality actually assessed?
Once a year, national authorities report a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli to the European Environment Agency, which grades the season Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A handful of countries, including Croatia via IZOR, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report — Gradina doesn't have that feed set up yet.
Is there parking near Gradina?
There's no parking mapped within 1.5 km of Gradina, so plan on a walk, or arrive early once it gets busy. By ferry, the nearest landing is Vrgada, about ~520 m away. The nearest town is Vrgada, about ~700 m away.