Privacy policy
Effective date: July 8, 2026. Last updated: July 22, 2026.
The Virginia Jellyfish Report is a free informational site. It is built to be checked quickly before a swim, and it collects as little as possible about you.
What we collect
This site has no user accounts, no comment forms, and no sign-ups. We do not ask for your name, email address, or location.
We use two visit counters: Cloudflare Web Analytics, which sets no cookies, and Google Analytics, which sets a small cookie so it can tell new visitors from returning ones. The site also runs Grow, a small tool from our advertising partner Mediavine that measures visits the same way and may offer optional features like bookmarking; it can set cookies of its own. Both show us aggregate numbers, like how many people checked a beach page, never who you are. If you block analytics with a browser setting or extension, the site works exactly the same.
Like nearly every website, our hosting provider (Cloudflare) keeps standard server logs, which can include your IP address, browser type, and the pages you request. We use that information only in aggregate, to understand traffic and keep the site working.
Advertising and affiliate links
To keep the site free, some pages include gear suggestions that may become affiliate links, meaning we could earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Those pages say so where it applies.
We may add third-party advertising in the future. Ad providers typically use cookies or similar technologies to show and measure ads. If and when ads are added, this policy will be updated to name the provider and describe your choices before those technologies are used.
Links to other sites
We link to outside resources such as VIMS, NOAA, and city beach pages. Those sites have their own privacy practices, which we do not control.
Children
This site is a general-audience beach resource. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If our practices change, for example when advertising is added, we will update this page and its effective date.
Questions
Anything unclear? Reach us through the contact page. To learn how the forecast itself works, see about the data.