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.

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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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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 · SkyscannerAd
Getting there. 50 min from the airport to South Beach.
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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 · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in South Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

South Beach on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

South Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at South Beach, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	56, good	4 ft8 ssoft	217kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots	20°C
Tue 20Oct	50, good	3 ft8 ssoft	138kJ	wind from the north, 9 knots	23°C
Wed 21Oct	29, too small	2 ft4 smushy	17kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots	22°C
Thu 22Oct	23, too small	2 ft6 smushy	38kJ	wind from the north, 5 knots	22°C
Fri 23Oct	10, too small	2 ft4 smushy	6kJ	wind from the north, 8 knots	21°C
Sat 24Oct	25, poor	3 ft7 smushy	68kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots	19°C
Sun 25Oct	40, fair	4 ft8 ssoft	202kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots	20°C
Mon 26Oct	42, fair	5 ft8 smushy	255kJ	wind from the north, 8 knots	22°C
Tue 27Oct	63, good	4 ft8 smushy	183kJ	wind from the south-west, 1 knot	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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to HHH, then 50 min by road. About 5h 05 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Surf South Beach
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 11 kn (20 km/h).
Mon 26 Oct
Travel 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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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