Merrion beach is a sandy beach with a gradual slope which makes the water too shallow for any real swimming. There is a large inlet of water that remains even at low tide and is known locally as "Cockle Lake". Although Merrion Strand itself has little flora or fauna due to its positioning and coastal connection to Sean Moore Park and the lrishtown nature Reserve, it is a nationally important area for migrating birds.Merrion Strand had been an identified/regulated bathing water and was monitored and managed under the terms of the 2008 Bathing Water Quality Regulations. Merrion Strand was declassified in 2020 due to Poor water quality - it had been classified as Poor for five consecutive years (2015 to 2019). Merrion Strand is no longer an identified/regulated bathing water, but continues to be monitored by Dublin City Council as an other monitored water.