South Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 121, poor
- Mon 225, poor
- Tue 341, poor
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 548, fair
- Fri 643, too small
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in six 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
- Best Feb, Dec1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 21, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 25, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 06:07 −0.9 mHigh 12:34 +1.1 mLow 19:02 −0.8 m
- 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
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 Feb, Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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, its town, photos
South Beach 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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Photos of South Beach
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About South Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (114°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (294°). 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 10.0 km out (1 in 1000). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and December, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Edisto Beach, 18 km (about 35 min by car). Nearest airport: Hilton Head Airport (HHH), 27 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 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$710–US$1,320 each
about US$710–US$1,320 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$60–US$100 |
| 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$710–US$1,320 |
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 18 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Edisto Beach, 18 km (about 35 min by car). Nearest airport: Hilton Head Airport (HHH), 27 km.
See places to stay near Edisto Beach, 18 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 5h 05m
About 5h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HHH, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → HHH on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.