Surf Forecasts:
Isle of Palms Pier surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, S swell with 59 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Isle of Palms Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Isle of Palms Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Isle of Palms Pier in the next 16 days are 1.0m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 5s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Isle of Palms Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you: the outlook for the next couple of weeks at Isle of Palms Pier is a tough one. There’s no real swell to speak of, and conditions are mostly messy. The whole 16-day window is a flat, blown-out run. You’ll get a few tiny bumps, but nothing that’s worth paddling out for. The first real sniff of anything that’s even surfable doesn’t show up until Saturday, August 29th, so we’re looking at a solid 11-day gap of poor surf conditions right from the start.
The only spot worth mentioning is Isle of Palms Pier itself. It’s a beginner-friendly beach and pier setup, but it’s inconsistent and exposed. The best of a bad bunch is on Saturday morning, August 29th. We’ve got a small 1 ft swell out of the SE, with a period of 10 seconds, and combined wave energy is weak (46). The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the SW, so it’ll be clean. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 86°, which is a little unusual for this time of year. Crowds are sometimes a problem here, so expect a few people out. Even then, it’s only “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – not a standout, just the least ordinary day in an otherwise bleak stretch. The swell is too small for any real power, and the south winds will likely mess it up later in the afternoon.
For the rest of the week, forget it. You’ve got onshore winds, cross-shore chop, and tiny windswell with periods mostly under 8 seconds. Thursday August 27th has a little pulse in the afternoon with a combined energy of 123 (moderate), but it’s cross-onshore and choppy at 1 ft – not worth the drive. There’s a glassy morning on Saturday August 22nd, but with only 0.7 ft and no energy, it’s a flat lake. The long period swells that show up – like 18 seconds on August 26th – are too small (0.3 ft) to break, and the wind is cross-off or cross-shore anyway.
Honestly, this is a blank run. The area tends to go quiet like this, and forecasts can shift, but for now, leave the board in the shed. If you’re into kite surfing, the afternoons with 15-19 mph side-shore winds might get you going, but for paddle surfing, it’s a no-go.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 34°C on Tue afternoon, min 28°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, calm by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 65mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the W by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 | S 5 | S 4 | S 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | SE 12 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 18 | 30 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 59 | 50 | 38 | 18 | 25 | 31 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 1:16PM1.60m | 1:13AM1.40m | 2:04PM1.57m | 2:01AM1.34m | 2:55PM1.55m | 2:52AM1.30m | 3:47PM1.54m | 3:46AM1.30m | 4:41PM1.56m | 4:41AM1.31m | 5:32PM1.59m | 5:35AM1.34m | 6:20PM1.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:09PM0.28m | 7:07AM0.21m | 8:04PM0.34m | 7:55AM0.26m | 9:00PM0.38m | 8:46AM0.28m | 9:55PM0.38m | 9:39AM0.29m | 10:46PM0.37m | 10:33AM0.27m | 11:35PM0.33m | 11:24AM0.24m | 00:21AM0.29m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | — | 35 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 32 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
Feels °C | 34 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 5 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 4 | 30 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 12 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 5 | S 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 15 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 8 | E 8 | — | SE 11 |
| kJ | 18 | 16 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 31 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 6 | SE 14 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 8 | 8 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 | S 4 | S 5 | — | S 3 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 |
| kJ | — | 10 | 12 | — | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 16 | — | 8 | 19 | 59 | 50 | 38 | 18 | 25 | 21 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 78 | 318 | 307 | 78 | 271 | 885 | 1132 | 1410 | 472 | 348 | 2344 | 144 | 196 | 363 | 144 | 21 | 277 | 104 | 219 | 752 | 320 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Isle of Palms Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Isle of Palms Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Isle of Palms Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Isle of Palms Pier 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 (Isle of Palms Pier) 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 Isle of Palms Pier 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.
Isle of Palms Pier is 21 km (13 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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