South Beach, United States
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Edisto Beach, 18 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: HHH (HHH), 27 km.
Watch this spot We email you when South Beach is worth the trip.
About South Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details 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. No stay checked for this site yet: Edisto Beach, 18 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: HHH (HHH), 27 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 5 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to HHH, direct.
See flights ORD → HHH · Skyscanner from about £140 returnAdGetting there. 50 min from the airport to South Beach.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Edisto Beach, 18 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: HHH (HHH), 27 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in South Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in South Beach · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
South Beach on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 33, poor | 3 ft7 smushy | 113kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 55, good | 4 ft8 smushy | 204kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 48, good | 3 ft8 ssoft | 123kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 34, too small | 3 ft4 smushy | 24kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 29, too small | 2 ft6 smushy | 43kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 10, too small | 2 ft6 smushy | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 20, too small | 3 ft7 smushy | 54kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 32, poor | 4 ft8 smushy | 145kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 48, good | 4 ft8 smushy | 224kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 0, too big | 7 ft10 ssoft | 866kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 23°C |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to HHH, then 50 min by road. About 5h 05 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf South Beach
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctSurf South Beach
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 4 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 26 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to HHH, then 50 min by road. About 5h 05 door to door
Rough cost
About £595–£1,105 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| 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 | £140–£290 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | £45–£80 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £115–£190 |
| Total | £595–£1,105 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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