Updated August 2026
Best beaches in South Carolina by water quality
South Carolina has 24 public beaches in the EPA monitoring dataset, 17 of them with enough bacteria samples to grade. 6 earn an A for consistently clean water, while 5 grade an F for frequently exceeding the safe-swimming limit. Full ranking below.
| Grade | Beach | County | % over limit | Samples | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Hilton Head Island | Beaufort | 0% | 30 | Excellent |
| A | Isle Of Palms | Charleston | 0% | 24 | Excellent |
| A | Georgetown County Beach Litchfield Beach | Georgetown | 1.1% | 89 | Excellent |
| A | Fripp Island | Beaufort | 2.3% | 43 | Excellent |
| A | Seabrook Island | Charleston | 2.4% | 83 | Excellent |
| A | Briarcliffe Acres Town Of | Horry | 2.9% | 68 | Excellent |
| B | Georgetown County Beach Debordieu Beach | Georgetown | 3.5% | 113 | Good |
| B | Folly Beach | Charleston | 6.1% | 314 | Good |
| B | Georgetown County Beach Garden City Beach | Georgetown | 6.6% | 348 | Good |
| C | Myrtle Beach City Of | Horry | 7.5% | 40 | Fair |
| C | Edisto Island | Charleston | 10% | 40 | Fair |
| D | Horry County Beach Arcadia Beach | Horry | 17.1% | 123 | Poor |
| F | North Myrtle Beach City Of | Horry | 28.6% | 63 | Failing |
| F | Sullivans Island | Charleston | 38.3% | 548 | Failing |
| F | Georgetown County Beach Huntington Beach State Park | Georgetown | 43.1% | 642 | Failing |
| F | Surfside Beach Town Of | Horry | 44.3% | 230 | Failing |
| F | Horry County Beach Garden City Beach | Horry | 76.1% | 113 | Failing |
Download the full South Carolina beach safety ranking
All 17 graded South Carolina beaches with their Beach Safety Grade, exceedance rate, sample counts, and program status — from EPA monitoring data. Enter your email to download; you'll also get swim-advisory alerts. A grade is a multi-year classification, not a same-day safety clearance.
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