When I was a kid (circa mid 2000s) Galveston beach was mid as fuck, but a fun enough time. Water was never clear, but it didn’t feel unsafe.
Now in the last 5 years or so, Galveston beach is genuinely disgusting. If you visit you want to do the dry stuff like restaurants and Keema boardwalk. The most you want to do with the beach is glance at it and wince.