🇺🇸 FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Folly Beach

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

FLAT

Live Conditions

Conditions Summary

Small 1.9ft surf — but short 5s period indicates wind swell, expect choppy conditions — from a workable direction — cross-onshore wind affecting quality

HIGH CONFIDENCEFresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Why it's FLAT

Swell Direction

Primary swell is 120° — matches the ideal 90° window for this spot

Swell Period

7s — this is wind chop, not groundswell. Waves will be weak and disorganized.

Wind

3mph cross-shore — not ideal but surfable if wind is light

Tide

High tide — some spots get mushy at peak high

Season

September is peak season for this spot

Data Confidence

Fresh buoy data with calibrated coastal transformation

At the Break

1.9ft

HIGH CONFIDENCE

Fresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Period

✗ Wind swell

Wind

3mph

CROSS-SHORE

Water

84°F

Boardshorts

Live Buoy 41004

2.0ft

48 min ago

Tide

HIGH TIDE

6.6ft

Next high: in 24 min

Swell Direction

70%

Wind Direction

60%

Primary Swell

1.0ft @ 6.5s

ESE 123°

Secondary Swell

0.6ft @ 3.6s

SE 141°

10 Day Outlook

2.2ft

TODAY

Sep 12

(8s)

3.2ft

TMRW

Sep 13

(8s)

3.0ft

MON

Sep 14

(9s)

2.9ft

TUE

Sep 15

(9s)

5.0ft

WED

Sep 16

(8s)

4.1ft

THU

Sep 17

(6s)

4.5ft

FRI

Sep 18

(7s)

2.7ft

SAT

Sep 19

(9s)

2.1ft

SUN

Sep 20

(7s)

3.3ft

MON

Sep 21

(7s)

Best this week: WED Sep 16 — 5.0ft

Best next week: SAT Sep 19 — 2.7ft

Incoming Swell Events

Day 5

moderate

Swell building to 5.0ft @ 8s

Model Breakdown

ECMWF (45%)1.5ft

ICON (35%)1.6ft

GFS (20%)1.9ft

Model confidence95%

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: Sep

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.