St. Catherines Island Surf Guide
Surf spot guide
Ideal Surf Conditions
Swell Direction
NE
Wind
NE
Surf Height
Knee to chest high.
Tide
Only works on incoming to dead high tide. With a six to ten-foot tidal difference, the Atlantic waters push into the Georgia Bight with lots of force, so conditions can change rapidly.
St. Catherines Island Surf Guide
Surfing is pretty much an alien enterprise on Saint Catherines Island. The Georgia coast is tucked so far back behind the Carolinas and Florida, and positioned so far west of the widened continental shelf (over 60 miles at some spots) that it takes something significant like a hurricane or a nor'easter to produce decent surf. In fact, Georgia is often more dependable when it’s onshore, and only on an incoming tide.
Ability Level
Beginner - Intermediate
You need to be a good enough surfer to stand up, but bad enough to not know any better.
Local Vibe
Welcoming
What’s a local?
Crowd Factor
Mellow
Empty.
Spot Rating
Poor
It’s not even the good Georgia, therefore challenging Connecticut, Mississippi and Louisiana for the smallest, weakest, least-consistent ocean waves in the country.
Shoulder Burn
Medium
During major storms the surf can increase dramatically while creating crazy rip currents between the undeveloped barrier islands.
Water Quality
Clean
Georgia was the first state to provide real time water quality data online, and water testing here is consistent and transparent.
Hazards
Isolation, sharks, jellyfish, rips.
Bring Your
Shortboard, Fish, Funboard, Longboard
Access
Owned by the Saint Catherines Island Foundation, the island is inaccessible to the public except for the beach below the mean high water line, and by boat only.
Bottom
Sand.
Best Season
September-March
Do you have local knowledge about St. Catherines Island?
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