Moving south - Folly vs. Wrightsville?

Wrightsville is better for surfing, but I prefer Charleston area as a place to live. Our girl to guy ratio is awesome, downtown is beautiful, the restaurant scene will make any foodie happy, and our microbreweries are fantastic. Folly has spots like the Washout and the Pier, which both get really crowded in decent swells. There are some other spots on the island that also get pretty good. IOP is just to the north of CHS, and I have found the waves on certain spots there to be on par with Folly (even the Washout).

 

folly is super preppy and for frat bros and they have no waves whatsoever. wrightsville can get waves and is full of dirty hipster rippers. stay where you are.

 

You should also consider New Smyrna Beach for wave consistency and warmth. If food is a driving factor, I'd go to Folly since it is Charleston, and they have awesome food in Charleston. I've never been to either Folly or Wrightsville, but I think Wrightsville has more consistent surf and is way closer to the Outer Banks for surf missions. Just my ignorant 2 cents as always.

 

I live between both places, have many friends in both places, been surfing both places for the last 20 years. Hands down Wrightsville- Wilmington area, yea Charleston has that southern stuck up charm and a decent wave but Wilmington,Wrightsville, and CB are west coast towns on the east coast. They remind me of places I visisted in Southern Califonria...with a southern twist. Just something about Charleston...rich in history...too rich!!! Waves are more conisisent and there are more places to surf in south eastern nc. You got Folly and that's it so EVERYONE goes there...plus the water is always puke brown cause of the harbor. There are some awesome neighborhoods along the cape fear river, just outside of downtown wilmington, and towards the beaches. Can't go wrong with wilmington!!! Water temp can dip to the mid 40's... Good luck man!

 

Spoken like someone who has never been to Folly. If anything, I would say Folly is more filled with rednecks. And they get plenty of waves, just not as frequently as WB. In fact, Folly is probably the best place in SC for waves.

I have never used a hood here. I use a 4/3 in January, with some 2 or 3 mil booties. I need to get some gloves, but only think I will need 2mil for the coldest days in winter. I can usually get by with a spring suit up until mid November. This year is rather cold. Have you ever thought about northern Florida?

 

Carolina Beach....sleepy little town south of wrightsville....way laid back and chill...got mucho amigos here

 

Not really. We have Folly, Isle of Palms, Kiawah, Capers Island (by boat), Dewees (by Ferry), and on rare occasions Sullivan's (Bert's). IOP has very similar swell to Folly, and certain spots work better on the right days.

 

Don't forget to mention to these good folks that you plan to open up a big surf school smack dab in the middle of the best break once you have made your final decision.

 

I surfed folly for 2 years and it can get pretty damn cold there, too. The air temp isn't so bad, but the water got down to the low 40s by dec and stayed there for a couple months - still gotta wear a 5/4 with booties, gloves and a hood. Winter gets perfect clean offshore barrels, but those days are really crowded with a lot of beginners that drop in or are just obstacles

 

I haven't seen low 40's in the water here since 2008. I was quite warm in a 4/3. Somehow I think we are due for a cold winter. We already had frost, and it isn't even December yet.

 

brew "i'll disagree with anything you say" engineer

you can't be serious by suggesting kiawah and isle of palms.

 

How much time have you spent surfing IOP? Or even the Charleston area? I am out there 2-3 days every week, and have been for almost 2 years. I have been in this area off and on since 2007. Any time Folly is getting decent swell, there are a few different spots on IOP working just as well. I can openly admit that SC (and GA) is sort of the smaller wave state out of the east coast states. But to say IOP isn't worth mentioning in a conversation about Folly surfing is ignorant and inaccurate. Kiawah isn't nearly as good as Folly or IOP, but when those two islands are getting decent swell, you can still get nice rides at the park on Kiawah.
I don't disagree, unless the post is inaccurate.

 

BE it seems that you may have been surfing sub par waves for so long your eye for quality has become a sliding scale

 

I live on the east coast, and surf in SC. I know waves aren't great in this state, and I have never claimed that we are on the top of any surf destination list. In my first post, I said WB has better waves than Folly or Charleston area. I learned to surf in Nags Head. That area was way better than CHS as well. Folly has good days, and a lot of bad days. IOP sees the same pattern. No one living and surfing this area regularly would claim Folly is so much better than IOP.

 

Myrtle gets my vote for the worst place to surf in SC. IOP and Folly have much better and more consistent waves than Myrtle. When there are hurricanes, we can see nice head high+ days. Just last week, they had a few clean shoulder high days. You will still be much happier with the waves down in FL. I know a guy that just moved down there, and his pictures make me jealous. Like I said, I don't live here for the surfing. This area has a lot more to offer, which is why I am happy with my decision to stay here.