Charlie's
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 s
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 s
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 s
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 335, poor
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 557, fair
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 841, too small
- Mon 939, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
- Wed 1118, too small
- Thu 125, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Charlie's does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 35, poor | 4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 20°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:08 +0.7 mLow 08:15 −0.7 mHigh 14:36 +0.8 mLow 20:54 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:11 +0.8 mLow 09:20 −0.7 mHigh 15:34 +0.8 mLow 21:47 −0.8 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 04:08 +0.9 mLow 10:19 −0.7 mHigh 16:28 +0.8 mLow 22:35 −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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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 and its town
Charlie's 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Isle Of Palms 26'th Ave 2.9 km away
- 25th Street, IOP 3.2 km away
- Osprey Walk 3.6 km away
- 21st IOP 3.9 km away
- Stumpys 4.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Charlie's
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (100°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (280°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 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 Isle of Palms, 7.3 km away (15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 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$1,010–US$1,820 each
about US$1,010–US$1,820 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 3 November 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$60–US$101 |
| 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$241 |
| Total | about US$1,010–US$1,820 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Isle of Palms
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
15 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Isle of Palms its beds, food and every spot near it
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 3 November 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.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.