🇺🇸 FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Folly Beach

Charleston's surf town, warmer water and laid-back vibe

FAIR

Live Conditions

Conditions Summary

Massive 13ft swell — serious conditions for experienced surfers only — but short 7s period indicates wind swell, expect choppy conditions — hitting at the ideal angle — 11mph onshore wind roughing up the surface

HIGH CONFIDENCEFresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Why it's FAIR

Swell Direction

Primary swell is 102° — matches the ideal 90° window for this spot

Swell Period

9s — short-period swell. Waves will have less power than a true groundswell.

Wind

11mph onshore — will chop up the surface and ruin wave shape

Tide

High tide — some spots get mushy at peak high

Season

October is peak season for this spot

Data Confidence

Fresh buoy data with calibrated coastal transformation

At the Break

12.5ft

HIGH CONFIDENCE

Fresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Period

Mid-period

Wind

11mph

ONSHORE

Water

78°F

Boardshorts

Live Buoy 41004

8.9ft

29 min ago

Tide

HIGH TIDE

6.5ft

Next high: in 4 min

Swell Direction

85%

Wind Direction

20%

Primary Swell

3.4ft @ 6.8s

ESE 107°

Secondary Swell

0.1ft @ 3.8s

N 358°

10 Day Outlook

5.4ft

TODAY

Oct 29

(9s)

5.5ft

TMRW

Oct 30

(9s)

3.9ft

SAT

Oct 31

(8s)

5.8ft

SUN

Nov 1

(8s)

5.4ft

MON

Nov 2

(8s)

5.0ft

TUE

Nov 3

(8s)

4.1ft

WED

Nov 4

(7s)

4.9ft

THU

Nov 5

(7s)

5.1ft

FRI

Nov 6

(8s)

3.7ft

SAT

Nov 7

(8s)

Best this week: SUN Nov 1 — 5.8ft

Best next week: FRI Nov 6 — 5.1ft

Incoming Swell Events

Today

moderate

Swell building to 5.4ft @ 9s

Model Breakdown

ECMWF (45%)4.1ft

ICON (35%)4.5ft

GFS (20%)5.4ft

Model confidence65%

Updated every 30 mins · Open-Meteo ECMWF + ICON + GFS

About

Folly Beach is the surf beach for Charleston, a barrier island with a distinct local culture. The Washout (at the north end near the old hurricane erosion zone) is the quality wave. Water is warmer than New England — wetsuit season is shorter. Hurricane swell delivers the best days.

The Break

The Washout at Folly Beach County Park — beach break with reef-like structure from the old erosion scarp.

Ideal Conditions

E/NE swell 3-8ft, offshore W/NW wind, mid tide

Best Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best months highlighted · Current: Oct

Trip Planner

Folly Beach Warm Water Weekend

Weekend · 3 Days

Friday

Fly into Charleston, drive 20 mins to Folly Beach. Check The Washout.

Saturday

Session at The Washout. Afternoon explore Folly Beach town.

Sunday

Morning session, explore Charleston downtown before flying home.

Charleston Folly Beach Week

Full Week · 7 Days

Day 1

Arrive Charleston, drive to Folly Beach, settle in, scout The Washout.

Day 2-4

Multiple sessions at The Washout and nearby beach peaks.

Day 5

Final session, explore Charleston downtown or return to Folly.

Local Knowledge

The Washout gets crowded — walk north along the beach to find cleaner peaks when it's firing.

Warmer water than New England.

Full town infrastructure and Charleston day-trip option.