Pawley's Island
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
62Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 2 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 130, poor
- Mon 230, poor
- Tue 334, poor
- Wed 442, poor
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 778, good
- Sun 859, fair
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1060, good
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 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jul–Aug4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 30, poor | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 78, good | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 59, fair | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 12°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:59 −0.7 mHigh 12:28 +0.9 mLow 18:58 −0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:02 +0.7 mLow 07:10 −0.7 mHigh 13:34 +0.9 mLow 20:01 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:10 +0.7 mLow 08:20 −0.7 mHigh 14:37 +0.8 mLow 20:59 −0.7 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 Jul–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
- Jul4of 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 Mon 2 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
Pawley's Island 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
5 places
- South End 2.7 km away
- Litchfield Beach 3.4 km away
- North Litchfield 7.5 km away
- Pelican poles 9.7 km away
- Naked Lady 15.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pawley's Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (116°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (296°). 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 3.7 km out (1 in 370). 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 months are usually July and 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 Pawleys Island, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 18°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$1,030–US$1,840 each
about US$1,030–US$1,840 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 MYR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$328 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| 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$1,030–US$1,840 |
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
5 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Pawleys Island its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Litchfield Beach on Booking.com
8 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Murrells Inlet on Booking.com
32 min by car · 27 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 50m
About 4h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MYR, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → MYR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.