Charleston Surf Guide

Charleston on the West Coast is a reasonably exposed beach/River Bar break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the east southeast. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the ideal swell angle is from the west southwest. The beach breaks are all lefts. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Take care of the strong rips here.

Charleston Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach/river bar5fairly consistent
54°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Charleston:

The best conditions reported for surf at Charleston occur when a West-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-southeast.

What's the best time of year to surf Charleston (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Charleston with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 35% of the time in June while 48% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 17% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
35%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
48%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
17%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Charleston Location Map

Interactive Charleston surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Charleston is Westport Airport (WSZ) in New Zealand, 21 km (13 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Charleston is Hokitika Airport (HKK), also in New Zealand, 98 km (61 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (ft)
  • Live Wind Speed (mph)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (ft)
  • Wind Speed (mph)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Charleston Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 28 July 2025, 04:07 Local Time
Monday 28
3AM6AM9AM12PM
Wave (ft)
1.5
WSW
1.5
WSW
2.5
WSW
2.5
WSW
Period (s) 14 12 14 13
Wind (mph)
10
10
10
10
Wind State cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off

Swell History at Charleston

Surf stats for Charleston, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Charleston

Wind stats for Charleston, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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