🇺🇸 FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Folly Beach

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

SMALL

Live Conditions

Conditions Summary

Small 2.0ft surf — but short 6s period indicates wind swell, expect choppy conditions — hitting at the ideal angle — cross-onshore wind affecting quality — Note: this is outside the peak season for this spot

HIGH CONFIDENCEFresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Why it's SMALL

Swell Direction

Primary swell is 103° — matches the ideal 90° window for this spot

Swell Period

8s — short-period swell. Waves will have less power than a true groundswell.

Wind

7mph cross-shore — not ideal but surfable if wind is light

Tide

Falling tide — workable window

Season

July is shoulder season — spot can still work but swells are less consistent

Data Confidence

Fresh buoy data with calibrated coastal transformation

At the Break

2.0ft

HIGH CONFIDENCE

Fresh buoy data + calibrated transformation

Period

Mid-period

Wind

7mph

CROSS-SHORE

Water

85°F

Boardshorts

Live Buoy 41004

1.6ft

46 min ago

Tide

MID-TIDE · FALLING

6.9ft

Next low: in 5 hr 50 min

Swell Direction

85%

Wind Direction

45%

Primary Swell

1.0ft @ 6.3s

ESE 115°

Secondary Swell

0.7ft @ 3.4s

S 179°

10 Day Outlook

1.8ft

TODAY

Jul 28

(8s)

3.9ft

TMRW

Jul 29

(8s)

4.5ft

THU

Jul 30

(5s)

4.1ft

FRI

Jul 31

(5s)

2.4ft

SAT

Aug 1

(7s)

2.7ft

SUN

Aug 2

(4s)

4.1ft

MON

Aug 3

(5s)

4.1ft

TUE

Aug 4

(6s)

3.1ft

WED

Aug 5

(8s)

2.3ft

THU

Aug 6

(8s)

Best this week: today — 1.8ft

Best next week: WED Aug 5 — 3.1ft

Model Breakdown

ECMWF (45%)1.2ft

ICON (35%)1.2ft

GFS (20%)1.5ft

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: Jul

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.