Surf spot

The Washout

Forecast conditions and map view for The Washout in USA, South East, South Carolina. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: USA, South East, South Carolina
Coordinates: 32.6688, -79.9080

Metric
Metric	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00
Wave height (m)	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5
Wave direction	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	SE	SE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	S	SE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	S	SSE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	ESE	ESE	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	ESE	E	E	E	E	E	E	ESE	ESE	ESE	E
Wave period (s)	6.2	6	6	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.3	6.4	5	3	3.5	2.6	5.1	6.4	3.7	3.1	3	3.4	4.2	5.5	6.8	5.7	5.3	6	6.5	6.6	6.3	6.1	6	6	5.8	5.8	6	6	6	6.3	5.3	5.9	5.3	6	6.3	5	5	5.2	6.5	6.3	5.8	5.5	5.2	4.9	4.7	5	5.5	5.2	4.8	4.1
Wave energy (kJ)	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	6	4	2	2	1	3	5	2	2	3	3	4	6	9	9	7	10	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	6	6	6	5	5	2	5	12	13	18	25	22	18	9	9	21	26	25	24	19	16	11	10	10	9
Wind speed (km/h)	14.6	11.4	9.9	10	11.4	12.8	14	15.8	18.4	11.8	15.8	14.2	19.9	21.4	21.3	21.1	21	21.3	16.1	15.1	14.1	18.8	23.4	26.6	16.3	13.8	8.7	3	9.8	9.7	10.1	7.4	7.1	11.3	16.6	21.7	24.9	26	19.9	18.7	19.6	20	20	22.3	24.8	25.1	22.9	18.5	16	14.3	18.1	21.9	19.4	20.6	19.3	16.5
Wind direction	SSWCross-off	SWCross-off	WSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SCross	SSWCross	SSWCross-off	SWCross-off	SWCross-off	WSWOffshore	WSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SWCross-off	WSWOffshore	WSWOffshore	SSWCross	SSWCross-off	SSWCross	SWCross-off	SWCross-off	WSWOffshore	WOffshore	ENEGlassy	SSECross-on	SCross	SECross-on	SECross-on	SECross-on	EOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	NECross-on	NECross-on	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	EOnshore	EOnshore	ENEOnshore	NECross-on	NECross-on	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	EOnshore	EOnshore

The Washout is one of the best-known surf spots in South Carolina’s South East coast, located on Isle of Palms near Charleston. It’s a beachbreak with sandbars, and it’s especially famous because a storm washed away a road in the area long ago—hence the name.

What it’s like

Wave type: Soft, playful beachbreak
Best wind: Offshore westerly / northwesterly winds
Best swell: Works on small to medium swells, and can get fun on bigger storm surf
Wave shape: Usually faster and more punchy on larger swells, but often mellower and easier for longboarding on smaller days

Surfing conditions

Skill level: Great for beginners to intermediate surfers on smaller days, but can become more challenging when the swell gets bigger and the currents increase
Crowds: Can get busy, especially when conditions are good, since it’s one of the more accessible and popular surf spots in the region
Tide sensitivity: Tides matter a lot; sandbar setup can change the wave quality from one tide to another

Best season

Fall and winter are generally the most consistent for surf along the South Carolina coast
Summer can still produce fun waves, especially from tropical systems, but is often smaller and less consistent

Vibe

The Washout has a classic East Coast beach-surf feel: laid-back, local, and dependent on shifting sandbars. It’s one of the main go-to spots in the Charleston area and a good place to check when the rest of the coast is flat.