Folly Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look ahead at the next sixteen days for our stretch of coast, centred on Folly Beach Pier. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough outlook. The entire 16-day window is a long, flat spell with barely a ripple. There’s not a single stand-out day for decent surf, so we’re looking at a real blank run here. The first recommendation doesn’t appear until Wednesday the 15th of July, and even then it’s just a glimmer.

Looking at the water temp for the first mention: at Folly Beach Pier (South Carolina), the water is sitting at 85°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 3° above average.

Starting with Tuesday the 7th of July, we’ve got a tiny 3 ft southerly swell with a short period of 5 seconds, but it’s a write-off with a cross-shore wind at 12 mph and thunderstorms about. The combined energy is weak (40). The whole first week is just a grind of small, weak swell and poor conditions. Morning windows on the 8th, 9th, and 10th have clean conditions with cross-offshore breezes from the WSW, but the swell is pathetic – mostly 1.0 ft to 1 ft of short-period, weak energy (12 to 18). Not worth paddling out for.

Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th offer a slight bump in size – around 3 ft to 4 ft on the Saturday morning, with clean conditions, but the period is only 6 seconds, energy is still low (88), and the swell direction (SSW) isn’t ideal. It’s surfable for a longboard if you’re desperate, but it’s not good.

The only mention that isn’t a total zero comes early on Wednesday the 15th. There’s a 3 ft easterly swell, period 6 seconds, with a light offshore wind from the NW – 3 mph. The combined energy is 87, which is still weak, but it’s clean and there’s a bit of push. The comment in the data calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and that sums it up perfectly. It’s the best the whole 16 days has to offer, which tells you how flat it is.

After that, into the second week, it’s more of the same. Thursday the 16th has tiny 1 ft waves and clean cross-offshore winds, but no energy. The 18th brings a 3 ft SSW swell under a gentle cross-offshore breeze in the afternoon, but period drops to 5 seconds and energy is only 55. Again, ordinary.

Nothing else in the second week comes close to being worthwhile. The energy values are all under 60, with most days showing weak, short-period swell and crappy wind states. For a spot like Folly Beach Pier, which is a beach/pier setup and can get a fun wave, this is an unusually quiet run. It tends not to stay this poor for long, so forecasts can change, but right now it’s a full two weeks of flat or poor conditions.

If you’re itching for anything, the cleanest, most promising wave is that Wednesday 15th morning – small, but clean. If the swell fills in a touch better, you might score a few. Otherwise, this setup looks more interesting for a kayak than a surfboard. Stick with it, things will turn.

Rusty.

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