Key Biscayne beaches: Crandon, Bill Baggs and Virginia Key

Across the causeway

South of downtown Miami, a causeway crosses the bay to Virginia Key and then to Key Biscayne. On the way there are three beaches we follow on their own pages, because each one faces the ocean in its own way and the sargassum does not always treat them the same.

Crandon Park

Crandon Park is the long beach on the ocean side of Key Biscayne, popular with families. It is wide and has a lot of shoreline, so on a day with seaweed one section can be clear while another has a line of it near the water. Its page shows the level for the beach as a whole and the latest reports, which often say which end looks better.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida

Bill Baggs Cape Florida is at the southern tip of the island, inside a state park with a historic lighthouse. Because the coast curves there, the angle at which the wind meets the shore is different from Crandon's. That alone can be enough for the two to show different levels on the same morning.

Virginia Key

Virginia Key is the first island you reach from the mainland. Its beach faces the sea at yet another angle. It is worth a look when the other two are heavy: it is close, and it does not always follow them.

How to choose on the day

The live card above shows Crandon Park right now. Before you cross, open the three pages and compare them. Look at three things on each one:

• The level and the index, with the age of the data next to them.
• The days ahead, to see whether things are expected to get better or worse.
• The reports from the last few hours, which are the closest thing to seeing the beach yourself.

If all three look heavy, the beach list shows the rest of Miami at a glance. And if you go, a short report from the sand helps everyone who is deciding after you.