3rd Bar
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 239, poor
- Tue 335, poor
- Wed 445, fair
- Thu 535, too small
- Fri 638, too small
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 837, too small
- Mon 932, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
3rd Bar does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 35, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 17°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:04 +0.7 mLow 07:09 −0.7 mHigh 13:36 +0.9 mLow 19:59 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:12 +0.7 mLow 08:18 −0.7 mHigh 14:39 +0.9 mLow 20:57 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:14 +0.8 mLow 09:23 −0.7 mHigh 15:38 +0.8 mLow 21:51 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
3rd Bar on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of 3rd Bar
More surf near here
5 places
- Berts Bar 0.9 km away
- Breach inlet 2 km away
- Gaps 3.8 km away
- Isle of Palms Pier 5.5 km away
- 35th Street, IOP 6.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About 3rd Bar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (139°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (319°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 9.1 km out (1 in 909). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Isle of Palms, 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,010–US$1,820 each
about US$1,010–US$1,820 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CHS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$100 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,010–US$1,820 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Isle of Palms
about 10 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Isle of Palms its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 4h 45m
About 4h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHS, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → CHS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.