Folly Beach Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and unexciting for Folly. We’re staring down a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly junky surf. The first real chance of anything remotely rideable doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 18th, so that’s a solid ten-day gap of nothing worth paddling out for. Before that, we've got a whole lot of ankle-biters and onshore slop.

The first few days are all about tiny waves. Friday the 7th kicks off with a weak 3ft southeast swell, but it’s mixed up with a cross-onshore breeze and the energy is super low (93). It’s a write-off. Saturday the 8th stays small, but there’s a brief window Saturday afternoon when the wind drops to glassy. The swell is only 2ft and the energy is weak (64), so it’s just not enough to push you around. Sunday the 9th is even smaller and weaker, and by Monday the 10th, we’re down to 1ft with moderate breezes. It’s a desert out there.

We do get a few clean windows in the mornings from the 11th through the 13th, with some cross-offshore winds. The waves stay tiny, under 3ft, and the periods are short, around 4-6 seconds, so the energy is weak (57 max). It’s clean, but it’s barely surfable. Even those clean days are a struggle.

Then, we finally see a little pulse. On Sunday the 16th, the morning surf bumps up to a modest 4ft from the south-southwest with a clean cross-offshore breeze. The energy climbs to a moderate 104. It’s not breaking any records, but it’s the best shape we’ve seen. The real standout, though, is the morning of Tuesday the 18th. That’s when the swell kicks up to 4ft from the southwest, with clean conditions and a gentle cross-offshore wind. The energy hits 144, which is the strongest we get in this whole stretch. It’s still not big, but it’s the most surfable it’s going to be. This is your window. Get out there.

After that, it’s back to the ordinary. A little clean-up on Thursday the 20th with a morning offshore wind, but the swell is only 3ft and the energy is still weak. For the rest of the run, we’re chasing shadows.

Bottom line: this is a tough stretch for Folly. It’s not looking like a surfers’ paradise. The water temp is running about average for this time of year, which is a small comfort. If you’re desperate, the mornings of the 16th and 18th are your best bets, with the 18th being the standout. The Tuesday the 18th morning swell at the pier (South Carolina) is the one to set an alarm for. It’s clean, it’s got a little push, but don’t expect a classic. Everything else is a gamble. The rest of the time, especially when those moderate breezes kick up, the conditions at this beach-and-pier setup might honestly be more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle folk.

Remember, the long-range stuff is promising but less certain. We’ll see what materializes. Keep the faith.

Rusty, out.

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