the beach today
Lowcountry Guide

Sullivan's
Island

Lowcountry

Everything for a quiet, historic beach day at the mouth of Charleston Harbor: conditions, the free station-street parking, the harbor sunset by Fort Moultrie 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

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

The Cove

West end · calm harbor-side swimming

Calm water · harbor view

Fort Moultrie Beach

By the fort & the triangular lighthouse

Free street parking · historic

Station 22 Access

Popular mid-island walk-on to wide sand

Free access · dunes

Station 28.5 Access

Quieter east-end access near the inlet

Free access · low crowds

Breach Inlet

East tip · strong current, no swimming

Fishing · caution

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

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

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Isle of Palms

5 min north

Wide family sand, the Windjammer & the marina

Mount Pleasant

10 min west

Shem Creek, Patriots Point & the greenway

Charleston

20 min west

Historic downtown, the Battery & King Street

Fort Sumter

Boat only

The harbor fort where the Civil War began

see you on the sand

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

Rough water today. No weather alert for Sullivan's Island, but the forecast has waves to 4 ft and wind to 18 mph. Fine for a walk, not for a swim. Right now at Sullivan's Island, the water is 68°F, surf is running 3–4 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 116 minutes right now. Today’s tides: High 1:33 AM, Low 7:27 AM, High 2:00 PM, Low 8:19 PM. Dogs are allowed right now, on a leash. Allowed until May 1.