Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- WSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 243, poor
- Tue 355, fair
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 542, too small
- Fri 640, too small
- Sat 756, fair
- Sun 845, fair
- Mon 934, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 43, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the north-east, 14 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 13 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 01:08 +0.8 mLow 07:17 −0.8 mHigh 13:41 +1.0 mLow 20:04 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:16 +0.8 mLow 08:26 −0.8 mHigh 14:45 +1.0 mLow 21:03 −0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:19 +0.9 mLow 09:30 −0.9 mHigh 15:43 +1.0 mLow 21:56 −0.9 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
Fripp Island on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Fripp Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (154°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (334°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 5.9 km out (1 in 588). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. Port Royal, 21 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Beaufort, 22 km (about 40 min by car). Nearest airport: Hilton Head Airport (HHH), 23 km. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 20°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$703–US$1,310 each
about US$703–US$1,310 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 ORD to HHH, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$342 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| 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$703–US$1,310 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 22 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Port Royal, 21 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Beaufort, 22 km (about 40 min by car). Nearest airport: Hilton Head Airport (HHH), 23 km.
See places to stay near Beaufort, 22 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 5h
About 5h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HHH, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → HHH on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.