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Cliffs
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 8 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 s
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 s
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 s
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 s
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Mon 9 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 s
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 219, poor
- Tue 322, poor
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 646, fair
- Sat 753, fair
- Sun 836, too small
- Mon 935, too small
- Tue 1026, 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
Cliffs 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 | 19, poor | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the north-east, 15 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 22, poor | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 46, fair | 2 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 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 and its town
Cliffs 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.
More surf near here
4 places
- Berts Bar 4.2 km away
- The Washout 7.9 km away
- Folly Beach 9.3 km away
- Folly Beach Pier 10.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cliffs
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (126°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (306°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. 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 Charleston, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,000–US$1,810 each
about US$1,000–US$1,810 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$54–US$94 |
| 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$1,000–US$1,810 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 175 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Charleston its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Folly Beach on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 40 places to stay
- Beds in Kiawah Island on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 15 places to stay
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 · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.