the beach today
Lowcountry Guide

Hilton Head
Island

Lowcountry

Everything for a barefoot day on the Lowcountry sand: conditions, parking, the Harbour Town sunset and where to eat after.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Beach lots, gates & trolley

Harbour Town

Lighthouse sunset & live cam

Dining

Shrimp & grits, oysters & more

Things to Do

Dolphin tours & sunset sails

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Coligny Beach Park

Main beach hub · showers & swings

Free lot · fills fast

Driessen Beach

Boardwalk & family park

Paid lot · trolley

Folly Field Beach

Calm · easy walk-on access

Small paid lots

Burkes Beach

Quiet local stretch · dunes

Limited parking

Alder Lane Beach

Wide low-tide sand · south

Metered lot

Sea Pines Beach

Calm cove off South Beach

Gate pass

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Bluffton

20 min west

Old Town, the May River & oyster docks

Beaufort

45 min north

Antebellum waterfront & sea islands

Daufuskie

Ferry only

Car-free Gullah island & golf carts

Savannah

45 min south

Historic squares, River St & SCAD

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Hilton Head Island. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Hilton Head, the water is 85°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 84°F but feels like 95°F. Wind is 6 mph from the WSW and the UV index peaks at 7 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 31 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 4 PM. Today’s tides: Low 4:14 AM, High 10:24 AM, Low 4:45 PM, High 10:35 PM. Dogs are allowed right now. Allowed until May 28.