If you live in Charleston or visit the beaches, then you are aware of how much the tide impacts your time on or near the water (and even your daily commute around town!). Surfing is no exception. Around the world tides can affect every surf break differently and more drastically than other places. For Folly Beach the tides greatly determine the quality of our waves. Obviously, tides are important to surfing Folly Beach, but what are the ideal tides and conditions to look for when planning to surf Folly Beach?

Look for the “Incoming Tide Push”

As we mentioned in our last blog post, the ideal time is the middle hours of low tide to high tide. This is called the “incoming tide push”. During this period, the incoming water makes the waves bigger and helps to give them more power. While, we are still in Charleston and the waves aren’t monstrous, these waves are the best you will probably get most days and are the ones you will want to surf. If you can’t get out during the incoming tide push, opt for the outgoing tide push, or the midpoint between high and low tide.

Avoid Dead High Tide or Dead Low Tide

You will want to avoid dead high tides or dead low tides. At dead high tide there is too much water causing mushy, weak waves that crumble and don’t hit the sand bar. This leads to shore break waves (breaking right on the beach) and can cause dangerous nose dives and wipe outs. It is also hard to learn to turn and work on surfing down the line (riding across the wave rather than straight) .

Dead low tide, on the other hand, breaks further out than high tide, but breaks in very shallow water (at times ankle to knee high). The tide breaks very quickly and hard on the shallow sand bar. Like dead high tide, this, too, can cause beginners to nose dive easily. It is also hard to learn to turn and work on surfing down the line.

You can check daily for high and low tide times on sites like Tide-Forecast.com. Tide-Forecast can also show you the tides for the next seven days, as well as, swell feet and direction.

Watch for Storm Systems

While the midpoints in the tides are ideal for day to day surfing, sometimes when we get storms the sand shifts and the right tide changes. You always have to keep an eye on the weather and watch for these storms. These storms can include tropical storms and hurricanes, as well as, northeastern’s. Storm systems can bring the best waves, but are not ideal for beginners. Everyone is going to want to surf these waves, so you need to also be mindful of the crowds.

The tide at Folly Beach greatly determines how your surfing session will go. Surfing the midpoint of the tide will yield the best results, as well as, watching for storm systems. Also, avoiding dead high tide or low tide will ensure you are not wasting your time on the water.