South Carolina offers year-round surfing opportunities, with some of the state’s best waves found along the Grand Strand, Folly Beach, Pawleys Island, and the Isle of Palms. While conditions are generally beginner-friendly, tropical systems and seasonal swells can create excellent surf for experienced riders. With warm summer waters, wide beaches, and numerous surf schools, South Carolina is a great destination for both first-time surfers and seasoned wave chasers.
Folly Beach doesn’t do subtle in late July. For one weekend, The Washout transforms into the beating heart of women’s surfing on the East Coast, and locals plan their whole summer around it. The Folly Beach Wahine Classic returns for its 24th year on Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26, 2026. Nearly 250 competitors … Read more
Folly Beach doesn’t care what you think of it. That’s precisely why you’re going to love it.
Just 12 miles from downtown Charleston, this six-mile barrier island operates on a frequency entirely its own. Surf shops sit next to taco joints. Live music spills out of beach bars at 2pm on a Tuesday. Locals cruise Center Street on bikes with no shoes on and zero apology about it. The whole place has a cheerful, slightly scruffy charm that Charleston’s polished historic district simply cannot manufacture, and it doesn’t try to.