Garden City Pier
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 229, too small
- Tue 332, poor
- Wed 442, poor
- Thu 540, too small
- Fri 635, too small
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
- Wed 119, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Aug4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the west, 8 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 19°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 01:00 +0.7 mLow 07:08 −0.7 mHigh 13:31 +0.9 mLow 19:58 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:07 +0.7 mLow 08:18 −0.7 mHigh 14:35 +0.9 mLow 20:56 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:10 +0.8 mLow 09:24 −0.7 mHigh 15:34 +0.8 mLow 21:50 −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.
Best time to go
best in Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Garden City Pier 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
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
5 places
- Parking Lots 0.6 km away
- 13th ave south surfside 2.6 km away
- Surfside Pier 4.1 km away
- Naked Lady 4.6 km away
- Ocean Lakes 6.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Garden City Pier
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 beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 4.5 km out (1 in 455). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually August, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Garden City Beach, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$986–US$1,760 each
about US$986–US$1,760 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MYR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$329 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$54 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$986–US$1,760 |
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 5 min by car · 44 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Garden City Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Murrells Inlet on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Surfside Beach on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 52 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 4h 30m
About 4h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MYR, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → MYR on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.