Isle of Palms Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for the Isle of Palms Pier and, to be honest, it's a pretty bleak run we've got ahead of us. The whole 16-day window is looking like a write-off for any proper surfing. We're stuck with a long stretch of tiny, weak, short-period windswell that's just not going to do anything for you. The only faint glimmer of something happening is right at the very end, but even that's a long way off and comes with its own problems.

Let's start with this weekend, Saturday the 22nd. Morning will be clean enough with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a pathetic 2 ft from the SSW with a period of just 4 seconds. The combined wave energy is a paltry 29, which is barely a bump. It's poor surf. Saturday afternoon gets worse with a risk of thunderstorms and a stronger cross-shore wind, making it choppy and messy. Sunday and Monday are more of the same – tiny 1 ft to 3 ft windswell, short periods, and mostly onshore or cross-shore winds. The combined energy stays in the weak zone, from 19 to 43. There's simply nothing to get excited about.

The whole of the following week, from Monday the 24th to Sunday the 31st of August, is a flat, poor-quality slog. We see a bit of a shift on Monday the 24th morning when a 1 ft SE swell with a 12-second period shows up, giving us 71 units of combined energy. That's still in the weak category, but the longer period suggests it's a more organised groundswell. The morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, but it's just too small to be worth a paddle. The rest of that week is all onshore winds and tiny chop. The water temperature is 86°F, which is about 4°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so it's notably warm, but that's about the only positive.

We then hit the first of September, and this is where things get slightly more interesting, but it's a tease. On Tuesday the 1st of September morning, we've got a 1 ft swell from the SE with a very long period of 15 seconds. The combined energy hits 55, still weak. Then on Wednesday the 2nd of September, that SE swell bumps up to 2 ft with an 11-second period, and the combined energy jumps into the moderate zone at 133. However, the wind is a moderate cross-shore, and by the afternoon it's a messy cross-onshore. The swell direction is SE, which is close to the optimum SE direction for the pier, but the size is still tiny and the wind is no good. It's still rated as poor surf. This is the only period in the whole 16 days where there's any real energy, but it's completely let down by the conditions. For a beach/pier setup, a long-period SE groundswell of this size is unlikely to produce anything rideable.

The final few days, from the 3rd to the 6th of September, fade back into tiny, weak windswell and mostly onshore winds. The combined energy drops back to 35 or less. There's a clean morning on the 4th of September with a light cross-offshore, but the swell is only 2 ft from the S with a 5-second period. It's just not surf.

So, to be brutally honest, there is no standout session, no best day. The only period with any hint of life is the 1st and 2nd of September, but that's 10 days away, and the conditions look average at best. For a spot that's already inconsistent, this kind of blank run is fairly normal. If you're desperate for a paddle, the cleanest windows will be the mornings with lighter winds, but don't expect any waves. This setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I'd be finding something else to do.

Rusty.

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