Myrtle Beach Surf Forecast
South Carolina, SC · The Grand Strand's pier-lined beachbreak - small but everywhere.
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Myrtle Beach Spot Guide
Best swell
Ideal size
Best wind
The wave
Local knowledge
The Grand Strand's gentle shelf smooths most swell into forgiving, longboard-friendly peaks — Myrtle is a volume play, with sixty miles of beach and a pier every few of them. Tropical swells in late summer are the exception that brings real push; know the city's seasonal surfing zones before paddling mid-day.
Nearby spots
- Pawleys Island 22 mi · South Carolina
- Sunset Beach 25 mi · North Carolina
- Ocean Isle Beach 30 mi · North Carolina
- Oak Island 44 mi · North Carolina
- Kure Beach 60 mi · North Carolina
FAQ
What swell direction works best at Myrtle Beach?
SE swell hits Myrtle Beach straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from ENE (70°) through SSW (205°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.
What wind is best at Myrtle Beach?
NW wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. SE wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.
When is the best time of year to surf Myrtle Beach?
Late summer through fall is prime: hurricane season (August-October) sends the year's best long-period swell, and fall-winter nor'easters keep it pumping. Summer runs smallest outside of tropical systems.
What's the best tide at Myrtle Beach?
Mid to high. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.
Is Myrtle Beach good for beginners?
Yes — soft waves and surf schools make it an easy place to start.
How warm is the water at Myrtle Beach?
Roughly 50°F at its late-winter coldest to about 84°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 4/3 or 5/4 in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.
How far out is this forecast reliable?
The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.
Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →