Onshore, SE through SWSullivan’s IslandStation 28.5 · Beginner to advancedThe everyday Charleston spot. Sandy launch, shallow inside, and enough beach that somebody on their first downwinder and somebody looping can share it.HazardStay well north of the rock groins at the south end, near the harbour mouth. The current runs hard through there and the shipping channel is close in.
S to SW onshoreIsle of PalmsThird Avenue · IntermediateA short hop north of Sullivan’s, and the one to pick while the sea breeze is still building — the beach is wide enough to set up on before it fills in.
Almost any direction; west is goodFolly BeachCounty Park, the south-west end · IntermediateThe salt marsh behind the island irons out a west wind that would be unrideably gusty anywhere else on this list. That is why Folly is the answer on the days the other three are not.HazardRide the County Park end, not mid-Folly. Unmarked jetties and groins run along the middle of the beach and sit just under the surface at high tide.
S to SW sea breezeKiawahBeachwalker · All levelsWide, hard-packed and uncrowded on a good southerly. The one to drive to when the Charleston beaches are busy.
E through SHilton HeadBurkes Beach · IntermediateThe island’s kite beach, out towards the east end where the waves break across a creek mouth and give you a left and a right. Parking is at the end of Burkes Beach Road.HazardKiteboarding is barred from Hilton Head’s designated swimming areas, which is why riders use Burkes rather than Coligny, Folly Field, Driessen or Islanders. Launch outside the swim zones and keep clear of them downwind.
NE through STybee IslandNorth of 10th Street · All levelsGeorgia has very little rideable coast and Tybee is most of it, which is why the access here was negotiated rather than assumed. Treat it accordingly.HazardRide from 10th Street north. Kiting between the jetty and the pier is not permitted, and a kite leash is required. This access exists because riders kept to those terms.
NE through SHunting IslandState park, north or south end · IntermediateThe only ocean beach the Beaufort side has, fifteen miles out Highway 21 and inside a state park. Riders head for the north or south end, where the beach opens out away from the swimming and the drowned forest.HazardThis is a state park, so park hours and admission apply and the swimming area is not the place to launch. There is no kite shop or local crew here to ask, which means nobody is watching if it goes wrong.
S to SW side-onFripp IslandPrivate island, guests and owners · IntermediateListed because the wind here is worth knowing and the south end works on a moderate side-on southerly at low tide, when it pushes you toward the sandbar. It is not a spot you can simply drive to.HazardFripp is a private gated island. Access is for owners and guests, and this entry reports the conditions rather than inviting you over. Conditions swing hard with surf, tide and direction, and there is no community here to read them for you.