Should I boat at Hilton Head, SC today?
Live GO / CAUTION / NO-GO boating conditions for Hilton Head, SC on Georgia & South Carolina Coast, from NOAA wind, waves, gusts, an hour-by-hour risk timeline, marine warnings and live webcams.
Conditions right now
CAUTION as of Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET: wind NNE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 2 ft every 12 s. Boatable with care: expect chop or building wind. Small boats should think twice.
From the NWS gridded forecast for this launch. The live page adds buoy observations, marine warnings and an hour-by-hour timeline.
About Hilton Head, SC
- Water: Georgia & South Carolina Coast
- Location: 32.170, -80.730
- NWS marine forecast zone: AMZ362
- Live observations: NDBC FPKG1, NDBC 41033
How the wind direction plays here
- Onshore (waves pile up at the launch, often rougher than the open-water number): ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE
- Offshore (deceptively calm at the ramp, rougher farther out, and it pushes you away from shore): WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW
- Cross-shore (moderate; watch which way it trends): N, NNE, NE, S, SSW, SW
Why direction matters: wind direction and fetch.
Nearby launches on Georgia & South Carolina Coast
- Savannah / Tybee Island, GA (13 mi): CAUTION, wind NNE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 2 ft every 12 s
- Charleston Harbor, SC (65 mi): GO, wind NNE 14 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 2 ft every 12 s
- St. Simons Island / Brunswick, GA (81 mi): CAUTION, wind NNE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 6 ft every 12 s
- Murrells Inlet / Myrtle Beach, SC (137 mi): CAUTION, wind NNE 15 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 2 ft every 12 s
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