Busy beach in Gulf Shores during spring break
Beaches

Beach safety in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

Both cities fly the same warning flags. Double red means the water is closed: it's illegal to go in within either city, and it can mean a fine of up to $500 or jail. Lifeguards work from March through October, with protected swimming areas at Gulf Place, West 6th Street and Lagoon Pass in Gulf Shores and seven towers in Orange Beach. Call the surf line or text ALBEACHES to 888777 for today's flag.

What the flags mean
Checked November 5, 2026Lifeguards Mar–OctText ALBEACHES

Gulf Shores, Alabama · Photo: DiscoverWithDima / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

Flags

What each beach flag means

The flag can change during the day. For the current one, call the surf line or sign up for the text service below.

Sources: Gulf Shores: beach safety, Orange Beach: beach safety.

Double red
Water closed to the public. Going into the Gulf is illegal in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, with a fine of up to $500 or jail
Single red
High surf and/or strong currents
Yellow
Moderate surf and/or currents
Purple
Dangerous marine life, such as jellyfish and Portuguese man o' war
No flag
Doesn't mean conditions are safe
Rip currents

If a rip current pulls you out

Rip currents are found on almost any beach with breaking waves, the Gulf included. Swim near a lifeguard where you can, never alone, and if in doubt, don't go out.

Source: National Weather Service: surviving a rip current.

Where they form
Often at breaks in sandbars and next to jetties and piers
How fast
On average 1 to 2 feet per second, measured at up to 8 feet per second, faster than an Olympic swimmer
Stay calm
A rip current pulls you away from shore, not under the water
Don't fight it
Swimming straight back against the current wears you out
Swim sideways
Swim parallel to the shore until you're out of the pull, then angle back to the beach
Can't get out?
Face the shore, wave your arms and yell for help
Swimming without a lifeguard
Never alone: bring a friend who stays on shore with a phone to call 911
Lifeguards

Where and when lifeguards are on duty

Swim in a protected area while lifeguards are on duty, and read the flag before you go in.

All beach accesses

Gulf Shores season
March to October
Gulf Shores protected swimming areas
Gulf Place, West 6th Street and Lagoon Pass, while lifeguards are on duty
Orange Beach season
March 1 to October 31
Orange Beach hours
10 am–6 pm in March to May and September to October; 10 am–8 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with fewer guards from 6 pm to sunset
Orange Beach in winter
No lifeguards on duty from November to February, only limited patrols
Gulf Shores in winter
Seasonal lifeguards work March to October; the city's full-time beach safety supervisors work all year
Orange Beach coverage
Almost 8 miles, from the Flora-Bama to the Gulf State Park Pavilion, with 7 fixed towers, among them Shell Beach, Alabama Point East, Cotton Bayou, the resident beach, Romar Beach and Phoenix West II / The Oasis
Check conditions

Today's flag by phone or text

Orange Beach also posts a daily report with the flag, rip current risk and water temperature on its beach safety page.

Look at the water on a beach cam

Gulf Shores flag line
251-968-SURF (7873)
Orange Beach flag line
251-981-SURF (7873)
Text alerts, both cities
Text ALBEACHES to 888777
Weather alerts
Text ALERTBALDWIN to 888777
Emergency
911
More safety

Closed water, wildlife and water quality

Surf flags and water-quality advisories are two separate systems.

Sources: Gulf Shores city code, Orange Beach safety FAQ, Gulf Shores: water quality, Share the Beach.

Closed water in Gulf Shores
The ban covers the shore from the east end of Gulf State Park to the west end of Dolphin Drive. Parents must keep children under 16 out of the water, and refusing an order to come out is a separate offense
Shark nearby
Walk back to shore calmly, without splashing
Jellyfish sting
Call 911 for trouble breathing or large welts
Water quality
ADEM and the health department sample Gulf Shores Public Beach, the Gulf State Park Pavilion beach and Little Lagoon Pass; a green rating means at most 104 enterococci per 100 mL. Repeated high values bring a red water-quality advisory, separate from the surf flags
Sea turtle nests
Don't disturb nests or tracks; Share the Beach hotline 1-866-732-8878
Stay nearby

Stay a short walk from Gulf Place

Gulf Place is one of the protected swimming areas in Gulf Shores, with lifeguards from March to October while they're on duty. These hotels are four to eight minutes away on foot.

Gulf Shores vacation rentals on Vrbo Orange Beach vacation rentals on Vrbo