the beach today
Lowcountry Guide

Isle of
Palms

Lowcountry

Everything for a wide-sand family day just outside Charleston: conditions, parking, the marina sunset over the waterway and where to eat after the beach.

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

Garages, lots & meters

Sunset

Sunset countdown & live cam

Dining

Where to eat after the sand

Things to Do

Cruises, sails & tours

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Front Beach

Main hub · shops, bars & the Windjammer

Metered · fills fast

Isle of Palms County Park

Lifeguards, showers & big lot

Paid lot · family

Wild Dunes

North end resort beach & golf

Resort · gated

Breach Inlet

South end · strong current, no swimming

Fishing · caution

42nd Avenue Access

Quieter public walk-on to wide sand

Free access · residential

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Sullivan's Island

5 min south

Fort Moultrie, Poe's Tavern & the quiet stations

Mount Pleasant

15 min west

Shem Creek, Patriots Point & the greenway

Charleston

25 min west

Historic downtown, the Battery & King Street

Dewees Island

Ferry only

Car-free nature island reached from the IOP marina

see you on the sand

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

Rough water today. No weather alert for Isle of Palms, but the forecast has waves to 5 ft and wind to 18 mph. Fine for a walk, not for a swim. Right now at Isle of Palms, the water is 68°F, surf is running 4–5 ft and the air is 70°F. Wind is 17 mph from the ENE and the UV index peaks at 5 (moderate) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 171 minutes right now. Today’s tides: High 1:47 AM, Low 7:27 AM, High 2:14 PM, Low 8:19 PM. Dogs are allowed right now, off-leash OK.