Swimming at Pawleys Island Beach today
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Updated 4:00 AM EDT
What decides a swimming score
Before you swim
Swim near a staffed lifeguard tower, and check the National Weather Service surf-zone forecast for the official rip-current outlook — we report conditions, we don't forecast rip currents.
Pawleys Island Beach is also scored for
About Pawleys Island Beach
Pawleys Island Beach sits on the South Carolina coast, where the water runs from about 51°F in January to 87°F in July.
The water averages above 70°F in May, June, July, August, September and October — 6 months of the year — peaking around 87°F in July and dropping to about 51°F in January.
Today it is 76°F. That is 3° above the October average of 73°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Pawleys Island Pier (ocean) about 0.6 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pawleys Island Beach good for swimming today?
Great for swimming — we score it 91 out of 100 today. No single condition is holding it back today.
What makes a good swimming day?
We weight water temperature (40%), surf calmness (25%), uv exposure (15%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.
When is the best time of year to swim at Pawleys Island Beach?
The water averages above 70°F in May, June, July, August, September and October — 6 months of the year — peaking around 87°F in July and dropping to about 51°F in January.