Isle of Palms Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window for Isle of Palms Pier is a tough one to call. The truth is, there’s no real surf to get excited about. The whole period is a flat spell with a side of messy wind, so we’re looking at a long stretch of nothing worth paddling out for.

Right off the bat, from Tuesday the 4th of August right through to the end of the forecast, every single entry is marked as "poor surf conditions." The swell heights barely tickle the knee, hovering between 1 ft and 4 ft, and the period is short and weak – mostly 4 to 8 seconds. The combined wave energy is low, mostly two-digit numbers like 16 or 42, with a couple of spots hitting three digits like 176 (moderate energy) but those are still paired with small, weak swell. The wind is almost always cross-onshore, chopping everything up. You’ll get a few brief moments of glassy or clean conditions, like on the morning of Sunday the 16th of August, with a glassy 2 ft from the SSW, or the morning of Monday the 17th of August with a clean 1 ft from the SE – but these are tiny, weak waves that won’t hold a face.

Water temp is sitting at 85°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for the time of year, but that’s about the only comfort here. The break is inconsistent and exposed to the southeast, and the optimum swell direction is from the southeast – but the swell that does show up is too short-period and small to make anything of it. Crowds are sometimes an issue, but honestly, there won’t be enough wave to draw a crowd.

This is a blank run, plain and simple. For an area like this, it’s not unusual to have a stretch of flat, junk conditions. Forecasts can change, but right now there’s nothing to recommend. If you’re desperate, the cleanest moments might offer a tiny loggable wave, but it’s a stretch.

- Rusty

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