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 | 23.1 | 0.5 |
| Thu 3 | 23.3 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 23.1 | 0.5 |
| Sat 5 | 22.6 | 0.5 |
| Sun 6 | 22.2 | 0.1 |
| Mon 7 | 22.2 | 0.1 |
| Tue 8 | 22.6 | 0.5 |
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: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Excellent2023
- 2024: Excellent2024
- 2025: Excellent2025
Excellent in the most recent season, and 11 of 11 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 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Excellent |
| 2024 | Excellent |
| 2025 | Excellent |
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 | 15 |
| 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
- Le Pont Noye1.2 kmGard
- Le Grand Rocher2.0 kmGard
- 3.3 km
- 5.1 km
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- By car: there's parking about ~1.1 km from the beach.
- Bus stop: Cave, about ~380 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest village: Rivières, about ~900 m away.
- 1 place to stay mapped nearby Closest is L'Universal, about ~200 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 Universal?
Universal sits on a stretch of coast classed as a river bathing site, carrying an official EU Bathing Water rating of Excellent 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, the national environmental authority — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It sits in Gard. You can park about ~1.1 km away.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 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. Rivières — the closest town — sits about ~900 m from here.
That “Excellent” label comes from a full season of official water sampling, not a single test — it's one step on a four-point scale (Excellent, Good, Sufficient, Poor) reassessed once a year. Today's actual conditions can differ from the seasonal average, so for a live snapshot see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above. It's been a consistently reliable spot too — the rating has held at Excellent for 11 straight years.
Frequently asked questions
Is the water at Universal safe right now?
Yes. Its official 2025 EU Bathing Water rating is Excellent, the top classification, and 11 of the 11 classified seasons on record have rated Excellent or Good. It's also held steady at Excellent for 11 straight years.
How warm is the sea at Universal right now?
That reading, around 23°C, is a placeholder rather than a live measurement, shown only because the marine-weather feed was temporarily unreachable; it updates automatically once the feed returns. That's the reading right off Gard.
What's the best month to visit Universal for swimming?
July–September tends to be the sweet spot for swimming here, with sea temperatures usually peaking later in that stretch. That applies to the water around Gard.
What's behind the water quality rating shown above?
The grade comes from a full season of official sampling for intestinal enterococci and E. coli, reported to the European Environment Agency each spring under the EU Bathing Water Directive, which assigns Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor. Some countries (Croatia, via IZOR) also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report; Universal doesn't have that feed yet.
Can you drive to Universal?
By car, there's parking about ~1.1 km from the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Cave, about ~380 m away. The nearest town is Rivières, about ~900 m away.