has anyone surfed folly in charleston, S.C.?
oh yes. usually crappy but sometimes very fun.
check out follysurfcam.com
here are some shots
http://groups.msn.com/thegrasshoppersurfboard/shoebox.msnw?Page=2
What a hip site! Your shapes are looking great. How’d the air comp go?
had to reply to this one… it would’ve been earlier but i was … you guessed it,… in folly beach. not bad. check out oceansurfshop.com for daily surf reports. surfed it on thursday, decent waves, i scraped by most of the day with a 6’4, but brought out the 8’6 after most of the juice was gone… i know i advocate the ocean surf shop website, but unless your 60, a collector of longboards, and grumpy, dont visit the actual shop. go to mckevlins instead. much much nicer people. I suppose you’ll be at the washout (if so, get there early so you have a place to park). if you surf the pier, be wary: they’ve been giving out fines lately ( after a few warnings with a bullhorn)… all in all, good vibe. i think mon/tues they expect swell… but if your going to make the trip all the way to charleston… and you have a boat… then better and emptier spots are accessable.
good luck!
Hey! Folly Beach is my “home break” - it’s 2 hours from me - but I surf there almost every weekend. Sometimes I’ll make the trip during the week before work as well.
Mostly small choppy surf, or really small surf when it IS clean - but better than paddling in a lake, ya know?
Friendly locals, if a bit stand offish. The best breaks there are the washout and the pier, and are both easily accesible. Just swing a left at McKevs and keep going straight till you see all the cars - simple as that.
If you are going to be there before I move to california- LAte April/Early May - I can take you out for some “secret” breaks that have with my bud’s boat. There are places along the folly coast and charleston that get pretty good swell depending on the wind condition - usually about the same as washout - you just dont have the ton of people and groms fighting for waves there.
Granted, it isnt hawaii - but it does get a bit crowded, especially for east coasters who arent used to having to wrestle just to catch a wave.
I’m not sure if you just moved here or visiting, but a fish is a must as is a longboard. The swell is usually small and mushy, and when it is nice and glassed - it’s small. So…yeah. Email me if you got any questions, I can show you around 
Folly is my home break, too. True, the washout does get a bit crowded, especially on the weekends, but if there’s a swell, there are a few other spots that can be a lot of fun–and you typically don’t have to fight for a wave (like 10th). Late summer (early hurricane season) often brings the most rewarding surf, and the water temp is still warm enough that no wetsuit is necessary. When those swells hit, you can find some really fun, less crowded, breaks in the surrounding area. The Isle of Palms can have some nice slow rollers, great for longboarding (but can be hit-or-miss). If you do have boat access here, I’ve seen pics and heard stories about fun, completely empty waves at Bull Island (I’ve just never caught it on the right day).
If nothing else Folly is a unique village that has not yet suffered the fate of the kind of mega development that plagues the surrounding beach communities. If you are coming to the area, it’s worth a visit. Bring a board and enjoy.
Southern South Carolina is a unique place.LOts of surfers in Folly and Hilton Head.There is a good break outside of Beaufort called Hunting Island State Park that is like a trip into the past with skeletal tree forests in the water.There is a great little core factory-showroom on Hilton Head.The boards are built by John Tolley and are called “Sunny Days”.He’s in to retro stuff and I’m going to shape a few for him in the next week or so.
solosurfers
Thank you…
The comp went well - it was really fun - we had the best waves of the year for it so I was stoked. It was small (17 people) - just mainly a group of friends came to the beach put 5 bucks each in the pot and the winner took the loot, we had a few heats with the next heat going out judging who aired out the sickest overall. No points or anything, just who ripped hardest overall - it was funny because every heat the winner was chosen unanimously. And at the end, everyone voted for ‘the best air’ and it was done by a different person than the winner of the contest so that was cool too.
My girl took some shots but I have not got them developed yet, I will put them up if there are any good ones…
there are definately some good breaks around if you have a boat, but none are nearly as consistent as the washout. I live right behind bulls bay, so I have surfed Bull Island (and wakeboarded in the surf there) quite a few times but the waves are not as good as folly (but the scenery is better)…there is some potential around the south inlet (if you dont mind being shark bait)on a big swell but i have never been out there when it has been big so i dont know. I have heard about people scoring around all the remote islands and inlets along this muddy coast and i believe it but for the most part, the surfing here is lousy…
Kai
hey man - I did’t realize it was you. There is a solosurfers guy on here too.
Now I see you were asking who from Swaylocks is from around here and all the responses (including mine) supposed you didn’t know about folly and were wanting info about it, as if you needed any info about where to surf around here…haha.
Richard
Grew up in Charleston. Folly is not the best wave in the world. Glad to call Hawaii Home now.