Bathing water quality in Pohjanmaa, Finland
Pohjanmaa has 18 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (17 coastal and 1 lake). 44.4% were classified Excellent — 40.1 points below the 84.5% across Finland — and 1 was Poor. 4 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
Uimaveden laatu: Pohjanmaa
Pohjanmaa: 18 virallisesta EU-uimarannasta 44,4 % oli vuonna 2025 ”erinomainen”; luokituksen ”huono” saaneita: 1.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Pohjanmaa
Sea, lakes and rivers in Pohjanmaa
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal | 17 | 7 (41.2%) | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Lake | 1 | 1 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
4 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- KARPERO 11 seasons
- MARIESTRAND 11 seasons
- MOLPE 11 seasons
- STROMSO 11 seasons
- ANDRA SJON 10 seasons
- FABODA CAFESTRAND 10 seasons
- LILLSAND 10 seasons
- STORSAND 4 seasons
Rated Poor in 2025
For a Poor site the Bathing Water Directive requires management measures, including a bathing prohibition or advice against bathing, so check the authority before visiting.
- AHVENSAARI Poor in 3 of 11 classified seasons
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (2)
- HIETASAARI Poor → Sufficient
- KUSTAANLINNA Sufficient → Good
Declined (0)
None.
How Pohjanmaa rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | 8 | 44.4% | 1 |
| 2024 | 18 | 8 | 44.4% | 2 |
| 2023 | 18 | 9 | 50% | 2 |
| 2022 | 18 | 12 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 2021 | 18 | 11 | 61.1% | 0 |
| 2020 | 18 | 12 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 | 12 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 2018 | 18 | 12 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 2017 | 18 | 13 | 72.2% | 1 |
| 2016 | 18 | 11 | 61.1% | 1 |
| 2015 | 13 | 8 | 61.5% | 0 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Pohjanmaa
Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.
| Place | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaasa | 3 | 1 (33.3%) | 0 |
| Pedersöre | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Kaskinen | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
| Hietalahti | 2 | 0 (0%) | 1 |
All 18 official bathing waters in Pohjanmaa
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 18 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Coastal 17 sites · 41.2% Excellent · 1 Poor
- AHVENSAARI · Hietalahti Poor Poor in 3 of 11 classified seasons
- AMINNE · Malax Sufficient
- ANDRA SJON · Nykarleby Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- FABODA CAFESTRAND · Pedersöre Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- FAGERO Sufficient
- HARRSTROM · Korsnäs Sufficient
- HIETASAARI · Vaasa Sufficient Poor → Sufficient since 2024
- KITTHOLMEN · Jakobstad Sufficient
- KUSTAANLINNA · Hietalahti Good Sufficient → Good since 2024
- LILLSAND · Pedersöre Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- MANSIKKASAARI · Vaasa Good
- MARIESTRAND · Kaskinen Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MOLPE Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SANDBANKEN · Kristinestad Good
- STORSAND Excellent Excellent 4 seasons in a row
- STROMSO · Vaasa Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- TJARLAX · Kaskinen Good
Lake 1 site · 100% Excellent
- KARPERO · Smedsby Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
Compared with other regions in Finland
| # | Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pohjois-Karjala | 23 | 100% | 0 |
| 2 | Keski-Suomi | 19 | 100% | 0 |
| 3 | Pirkanmaa | 35 | 94.3% | 0 |
| 4 | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | 19 | 89.5% | 0 |
| 5 | Southwest Finland (Varsinais-Suomi) | 18 | 88.9% | 0 |
| 6 | Helsinki-Uusimaa | 70 | 75.7% | 1 |
| 7 | Pohjanmaa | 18 | 44.4% | 1 |
Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Pohjanmaa were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 8 of 18 (44.4%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 4 were Good, 5 Sufficient and 1 Poor. That ranks Pohjanmaa 7 of 7 Finland regions by Excellent share.
- Which beaches in Pohjanmaa have the best long-term record?
- 4 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example KARPERO, MARIESTRAND, MOLPE. See the ranking.
- Which places in Pohjanmaa have the most official bathing waters?
- Vaasa (3, 33.3% Excellent), Pedersöre (2, 100% Excellent), Kaskinen (2, 50% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Pohjanmaa rated Poor?
- Yes, 1: AHVENSAARI.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On Uimavesi (LVV) (Permit and Supervision Agency (LVV) and municipal health-protection authorities). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Finland overview · All regions of Finland · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Finland, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Finland. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.