As Hurricane Erin keeps beachgoers on the sand, Hilton Head’s surfers take on the waves.
Hurricane Erin is keeping most beachgoers out of the water as high surf and rip current warnings take effect up and down the East Coast, but dedicated local and visiting surfers are taking advantage of the uncharacteristically high waves as the storm passes.
“When the big hurricanes come, it’s quite the thing,” Byron Sewell, champion surfer and owner of Native Son Adventures, said. “We haven’t had a good hurricane swell for a long time, so everyone’s super hyped up.”
Hilton Head is home to a number of champion surfers, but most days the waves are calm and best suited for teaching newbies the ropes. But with Erin far on the horizon, local surfers are taking to the waves, canceling their lessons and searching for some more challenging and exciting surfing than Hilton Head typically offers.
Even with all the excitement, Sewell urges that local surfers know their limitations. The swells will be bigger than what some are used to, and larger waves can be dangerous.
The local surf community comes to life
Surfing in Hilton Head doesn’t typically resemble any of the big waves someone would see in California. It’s a great place for beginners to try the sport out, especially in the summer when high tide brings in one to two foot waves. Even so, there is a very supportive community of surfing enthusiasts on the island, Sewell said.
Will Batson, a visitor from New Jersey, surfs regularly in his home state, where the waves are generally bigger than they were mid-morning Tuesday as the tide went out. The waves didn’t quite reach the five-foot forecast, so he planned to try again later in the day.
Shoals and Sandbars can wash out larger surf
Waves on Hilton Head are generally quite small due to sand bars and shoals off the shore that break the waves before the larger swells can reach the island. Sewell said those shoals are great protection from storms as they generally lead to calmer beaches, though they kill the large waves that surfers like to ride.
The conditions are too risky currently to bring out students, and many surf instructors on the island have cancelled their classes due to safety concerns. While other locals take advantage of Hilton Head’s uncharacteristically high surf, Sewell headed south to the Bahamas in hopes of catching even bigger waves as Erin passes close by, what he calls a bucket list trip.
Ryan Trenary, manager at Forest Beach Surf and Cycle and champion surfer, is sticking closer to home. Lifeguards called swimmers in from the salt water Monday afternoon due to the danger of rip currents and high surf conditions. But earlier in the storm’s cycle, Trenary headed out with his surf board Monday evening and again early Tuesday morning to catch the 6 a.m. high tide.
“We’ll be able to surf longer tomorrow morning because the tide is a little later,” Trenary said. “Then we’ll all get out and we’ll do what we gotta do, and then we’ll get back on it again in the evening.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 1:01 PM.
