Surf Forecasts:
Folly Beach surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, E swell with 206 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Folly Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Folly Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Folly Beach in the next 16 days are 1.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Folly Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
First off, I gotta be straight with you – it's a pretty grim run for Folly Beach. Every single day in the forecast window is marked as poor surf conditions. We're looking at a solid 16-day stretch where the waves just aren't cooperating. The first real chance to even think about it is a long way off, meaning we've got a big gap of nothing happening right from the start.
For the Saturday morning of the 5th, we're looking at a tiny 1ft SSE swell with a short period of 5 seconds, and a weak combined energy of just (17). The wind is light cross-shore, but with that size, it's barely a ripple. Sunday the 6th isn't any better, with a similar 1ft swell. As we move into Monday the 7th, the swell bumps up to 4ft from the ENE, but the period is still a weak 5 seconds, and the energy is still low at (74). The wind is a moderate cross-shore, which just adds chop to the mix.
Tuesday the 8th sees the swell hold around 4ft from the east, with a slightly better 7-second period, and the energy climbs into the moderate range (134-150). But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy and messy. The rest of the first week and into the second is a repeat of this story: small, short-period windswell, with onshore or cross-shore winds. There's a brief moment on the morning of Thursday the 10th (1ft from the ESE) with a light cross-offshore wind that cleans things up, but the swell is just too small to paddle for. The same goes for the morning of Friday the 11th, which is glassy but with only 0.7ft on offer.
The following week, from the 14th through the 20th, is more of the same – small waves, mostly crummy wind. The morning of Thursday the 18th has a bit of a clean window with a light cross-offshore breeze, but again, the swell is a mere 1ft. There are no standouts here, no hidden gems. The swell never gets high enough to be a problem, nor does it have the period to offer any real quality. For a beach break that's fairly exposed, the combination of weak energy and poor wind direction just makes this a no-go. Honestly, if you're looking to get wet, you might be better off with a kite on some of these windier afternoons, because the paddle surfing is a write-off.
Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, this is a blank run. The takeaway is that there's nothing worth chasing.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 50mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 31°C on Sun afternoon, min 21°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the ENE by Mon afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | S 5 | S 4 | SE 9 | S 5 | ESE 9 | ENE 4 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 8 | ENE 4 | E 6 | E 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 11 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 102 | 83 | 206 | 178 | 108 | 78 | 44 | 41 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 31 | 25 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:19PM1.82m | 3:46AM1.49m | 4:28PM1.85m | 4:56AM1.55m | 5:33PM1.90m | 6:00AM1.64m | 6:31PM1.94m | 6:58AM1.73m | 7:22PM1.96m | 7:50AM1.81m | 8:10PM1.94m | 8:39AM1.87m | 8:54PM1.90m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:42AM0.14m | 9:51PM0.34m | 9:50AM0.12m | 10:54PM0.28m | 10:55AM0.08m | 11:53PM0.20m | 11:57AM0.03m | 00:46AM0.12m | 12:55PM-0.01m | 1:36AM0.06m | 1:49PM-0.03m | 2:21AM0.03m | 2:40PM-0.01m | 3:04AM0.03m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — |
 | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 45 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 33 | 32 | 31 | 34 | 33 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | SE 8 | S 5 | S 5 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 11 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 13 | 41 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | E 6 | SE 9 | SE 7 | — | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 4 | SE 6 | — |
| kJ | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 7 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | S 4 | WSW 4 | S 5 | WSW 4 | ENE 4 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | — | — | SSW 3 | SW 4 | ENE 4 | E 6 | E 6 |
| kJ | — | 12 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 102 | 83 | 206 | 178 | 108 | 78 | 44 | — | — | 2 | 6 | 17 | 31 | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 295 | 1669 | 146 | 737 | 737 | 102 | 737 | 737 | 105 | 105 | 1417 | 105 | 105 | 105 | 229 | 102 | 584 | 385 | 102 | 260 | 102 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Folly Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Folly Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Folly Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Folly Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Folly Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Folly Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Folly Beach is 8 km (5 miles) from the city of Mount Pleasant. If you plan a vacation in South Carolina, look for hotels and other accommodation in Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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