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South Carolina · Edisto Island · Colleton County · Edisto Beach

Edisto Beach Bay Point

also known as Bay Point, Edisto South End

beginner-friendlylow crowds

Nearby Kiawah Beachwalker Park 23 km · Folly Beach South End 40 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools nameHow windyno knot figure publishedmixedLaunchBeach accesses vary, plus loose sand at the inlet tip. Much of the Atlantic side is steep and narrow, broken up by rock jetties or groins every 40-60 m.access rules on record, belowWaterocean and inlet28.1°C in summer · 10 things riders flagLevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level sectionSchools2named at this spotFrom the airport75 minInternational Airport (CHS)

When it fills in

Afternoon sea-breeze pattern in summer; frontal wind timing varies.

Bay Point, the South End of Edisto Beach, is the southwest tip of the island where the South Edisto River and Big Bay Creek run out into St. Helena Sound. The draw is the mix: ocean on one side, inlet current on the other, and slicks behind the outer Bear Island bars across the channel.
When a southerly Lowcountry sea breeze pushes against the northeast current you get wide-open water and a flat lane, and that combination is the only real reason to make the drive. Get the tide wrong and it is a different place.
Much of the Atlantic side is steep and narrow, cut by rock jetties or groins every 40-60 m, so rigging room away from the point is poor. Nobody has published a wind average for Bay Point, so plan around the summer afternoon sea breeze and the stronger frontal wind outside summer.
The 2026 town rules are ordinary beach rules rather than kite rules: 37 public accesses on Palmetto Boulevard, parking 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., nothing overnight. Beginners are welcome on paper, but current, remote bars and a groin-cut beach make this a poor place to work things out alone.

The wind

locals call it Lowcountry sea breeze

Direction

beachwater
onshore

Character

mixed

fills in: Afternoon sea-breeze pattern in summer; frontal wind timing varies.

Good when the direction and the tide line up: open water, and slicks where the southerly sea breeze opposes the northeast current. Outside that window it is a current-swept inlet.
Summer sea breezes are consistent and the harder wind comes with fronts outside summer. No month-by-month wind figures exist for Bay Point.

Thermal or synoptic

sea breeze and frontal

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Direction to shore

Variable around the point; onshore or side-onshore for the listed easterly-through-southwesterly ocean-beach directions, with west and northwest usable around the tip

Dominant direction

Any depending on exact position around the tip; NE/ENE/E/ESE/SE/SSE/S/SSW/SW/WSW along the main Atlantic beach

Forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan62
  2. Feb66
  3. Mar80
  4. Apr73
  5. May75
  6. Jun74
  7. Jul51
  8. Aug49
  9. Sep53
  10. Oct44
  11. Nov53
  12. Dec54

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

  1. 13Jan12°
  2. 13Feb14°
  3. 14Mar17°
  4. 14Apr21°
  5. 14May25°
  6. 13Jun27°
  7. 11Jul31°
  8. 12Aug30°
  9. 12Sep28°
  10. 11Oct23°
  11. 12Nov19°
  12. 12Dec14°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan62%13.3 ktSW10.7°C12.1°C
Feb66%13.3 ktSSW13.4°C13.8°C
Mar80%14.3 ktSW16.4°C17.4°C
Apr73%13.8 ktSSW19.2°C20.7°C
May75%13.7 ktSSW23°C24.7°C
Jun74%13.1 ktSW26.2°C27.3°C
Jul51%11.3 ktSW27.9°C30.6°C
Aug49%11.5 ktSSW27.2°C30°C
Sep53%12.2 ktNE24.6°C27.5°C
Oct44%10.8 ktNE19.8°C22.9°C
Nov53%11.7 ktNE16.5°C19.2°C
Dec54%11.9 ktNE11.6°C14°C
modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

ocean and inlet

Standing depth

At low tide the bars around the tip and across the channel toward the outer barrier sand give shallow, flat, stand-up water, and that is the whole of it. With a six-foot swing they cover fast on the flood.In the inlet channels there is nothing to stand on and the current sets the pace, so treat depth here as a tide window rather than a property of the spot.

Tides

Semidiurnal, and the swing is big for this coast: at the Big Bay Creek station the mean range is 5.96 ft (1.82 m) and the great diurnal range 6.52 ft (1.99 m).That volume moving through the inlet twice a day is what drives the current at the point, uncovers the sandbars at low water and floods the flat lane again on the rise. Lining the tide up with the wind direction matters more here than at the open beaches up the coast.

Temperature

28.1°C summer · 15.4°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or a thin sun top in peak summer. A full suit, sealed 3/2-type, for winter sessions.

Currents

A northeast current runs against the southerly Lowcountry sea breeze at Bay Point, and that opposition is what makes the flat lane. Around Big Bay Creek and the South Edisto inlet the tidal flow is the strongest thing on the water.

12–31°C water
The southwest tip of Edisto Beach, where St. Helena Sound, the South Edisto River and Big Bay Creek all meet, with the outer Bear Island barrier sand bars sitting across the channel.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced
Beginner through expert all get listed for the South End and Bay Point zone. Beginners still need local judgment here, because current, tide, remote sandbars and a narrow groin-lined beach all raise the price of a mistake.

The scene

What riders come here for

open-water ridinginlet current-assisted ridingsandbar slicksexploratory sessions
A quiet Lowcountry beach town, barely commercialized. Summer beachgoers still put pressure on the parking and the accesses.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Beach accesses vary, plus loose sand at the inlet tip. Much of the Atlantic side is steep and narrow, broken up by rock jetties or groins every 40-60 m.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Kiawah Beachwalker Park, 23 km

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No lifeguard service and no kite-specific rescue is on record for the South End; the town's published beach rules cover conduct, not water cover. Emergencies go to 911, and the police non-emergency line is (843) 549-2211. At Bay Point you are a long way from any staffed access with the current setting into the inlet, so a self-rescue plan and someone watching from the beach are the safety net.

Launch

The South End and Bay Point zone runs on into the main Edisto Beach stretch, and you launch and land wherever there is room.

Space

Beach accesses vary, plus loose sand at the inlet tip. Much of the Atlantic side is steep and narrow, broken up by rock jetties or groins every 40-60 m.

Hazards riders report 10

  • rock jetties and groins on Atlantic side
  • narrow steep beaches in places
  • remote outer sandbars
  • tidal current
  • Strong tidal current around Big Bay Creek/South Edisto inlet
  • Remote outer Bear Island sandbars with no services
  • Rock jetties and groins on much of the Atlantic side
  • Steep, narrow beach sections with limited rigging room
  • Changing tide can alter beach width and current direction
  • Protected dunes and beach vegetation
Rules & access
2026: the Town of Edisto Beach lists 37 public beach accesses on Palmetto Boulevard, parking allowed 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., with no overnight parking or camping at accesses, town parks or street ends. No motorized watercraft or vehicles on the sandy beach and no launching over grassy dune areas. Dune vegetation and fencing may not be walked on or damaged, holes deeper than 12 inches must be filled in, and tents, umbrellas and awnings may not stand from sunset to sunrise. Dogs must be leashed on the beach 1 May-31 October, the same window in which no light may illuminate the beach for nesting loggerheads. Glass containers and beach fires, including propane devices, are banned. There was no kite-specific Edisto restriction on record in 2023 and none in 2026 either.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

  • Read the Big Bay Creek and South Edisto tide times before you commit to the point or the outer bars.
  • Do not cross to the Bear Island bars without a self-rescue plan and a tide window you could still swim back in.
  • Walk the downwind shoreline first and count the groins.
  • Park and rig at a numbered public access; stay off the dune vegetation and never launch over a grassy dune area.
  • Ask Charleston riders how Edisto is being ridden right now before your first session; none of the etiquette here is written down.
  • Never ride here alone, and keep a hundred yards off the water's edge wherever people are on the sand — that is the standard Charleston riders hold each other to.
  • The stand-up sandbars are a low-tide feature on a six-foot range: work out when the flood will take them back before you ride out to one.

Getting there

Airport

Charleston International Airport (CHS)

Route

Drive out of Charleston through Johns Island on SC-174 to Edisto Beach, then use a legal public access near the south end. Without a car this does not work.

Transfer

75 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Vacation rentals, small inns and resort-style lodging around Edisto Beach and Edisto Island. For hotel choice you go back to Charleston.

No-wind days

Edisto Beach State Park, the Botany Bay beaches and wildlife, biking, fishing, kayaking, or a day up in Charleston.

FAQ

Is Bay Point Edisto suitable for beginners?

Local guides list it for beginner through expert riders, though tidal current, remote sandbars and groin-lined beaches mean beginners still need local judgment or instruction.

What is the wind like at Bay Point?

Wind is a Lowcountry mix of afternoon summer sea breeze and stronger off-season frontal wind, with the best sessions coming when a southerly sea breeze opposes the northeast current.

Are there kite schools near Bay Point?

Session Sports and FORCE Kite and Wake are the local schools serving the Edisto Beach area.

Are there rules at Bay Point?

As of 2026 the Town of Edisto Beach lists 37 public beach accesses on Palmetto Boulevard, bans overnight parking and motorized watercraft on the sand, and protects dune vegetation, with parking allowed 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

More in South CarolinaKiawah Beachwalker Parkall →

Last updated: August 2026