The power of total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and Enterococci to predict the presence of Salmonella in seawater was investigated. Indicator cut-off values with the most satisfactory combination of sensitivity and specificity in predicting Salmonella presence were 1000 CFU 100 ml−1 TC, 200 CFU 100 ml−1 FC, 500 CFU 100 ml−1 Enterococci. When TC or FC were used for Salmonella prediction in logistic regression, then the addition of another indicator did not have a statistically significant effect. When Enterococci were used for prediction, then the addition of either of the two other indicators led to a statistically significant improvement (P = 0.001 for TC, P = 0.003 for FC). These results suggest that using either TC or FC alone provided an adequate indicator of Salmonella presence, but a statistically significant improvement is possible over using Enterococci alone. Concerning Enterococci, European Union limits for excellent coastal water quality (100 CFU 100 ml−1) and United States Environmental Protection Agency criteria for marine bathing waters (35 CFU 100 ml−1) have the same value in predicting Salmonella absence (92.5%).