Jetties Beach Nantucket Open Water Swimming

Large sandy beach, site of the Nantucket Island Open water Swim (Swim Across America).

Jetties Beach on Nantucket Island features a large sandy beach on Nantucket Sound, offering protected island swimming conditions. Access via Bathing Beach Road with parking available in the beach lot for a daily fee during summer season. The beach provides extensive facilities including restrooms, outdoor showers, changing rooms, a restaurant, and beach equipment rentals. Lifeguards patrol during summer months, with the beach open from early morning to dusk.

The sandy beach offers gentle water entry into Nantucket Sound, with the jetties providing some protection from currents and swells. Water conditions are generally calmer than open Atlantic beaches, making this suitable for distance swimming parallel to shore. The beach’s name comes from the rock jetties that help define the swimming area and protect the adjacent harbor entrance. Water temperatures reach comfortable levels by mid-summer, with the island’s position in the Sound creating slightly warmer conditions than outer Cape Cod beaches.

This beach serves as the venue for the Nantucket Island Open Water Swim, organized by Swim Across America. The charity event brings together swimmers for various distance options while raising funds for cancer research and treatment. The swim showcases Nantucket’s excellent open water swimming conditions and strong community support for the event. The beach’s protected location and clear waters make it ideal for both competitive swimming events and recreational distance training.

Water quality monitoring is conducted by the Nantucket Board of Health with additional data available through the [EPA Beacon system](https://beacon.epa.gov/ords/beacon2/f?p=beacon2:38:1::NO::P38_BEACH_ID:MA255405). The beach maintains excellent water quality standards throughout the season. Nantucket’s island setting creates a unique swimming environment, combining the appeal of New England ocean swimming with the protected conditions of island beaches. The beach’s popularity and excellent facilities make this one of Nantucket’s premier swimming destinations.