Surf 's up at Folly's Washout

With a name like The Washout, you'd think the stretch of shoreline at the east end of Folly Beach is not a particularly nice place to be.

But The Washout is a great place for sunning and surfing, and, thanks to a cooperative effort by the city of Folly Beach and its businesses, The Washout is getting better all the time.

Shower facilities, landscaping and paved roadside parking now enhance The Washout, and work soon will begin on changing stations, restrooms and more amenities. Waterlines and machines for collecting a $1-per-hour parking fee (year-round 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) have been installed. The work is funded by grants, business contributions and the city's share of accommodations tax revenue, according to Adam Killermann, a Dunes Properties real estate agent and chairman of the Folly Beach Beautification Committee.

Landscaping, with shrubs, flowering plants and palm trees, has been completed at the largest constructed walkover, a covered shelter sometimes referred to as "the observation deck."

Landscaping will enhance five more walkovers. Two showers have been installed, and changing rooms and bathrooms will be part of later phases.

The work definitely will enhance The Washout experience, Killermann said.

"As you come up Ashley Avenue, you're going to see a great improvement," he said.

Coveted by surfers as having some of the best waves on the East Coast, The Washout hosts several national surfing competitions each year, including the Wahine Contest in May and the Governor's Cup of Surfing in August.

For those who don't need a board to enjoy the beach, The Washout's appeal is its distance from the busier commercialized beach area centered around the Folly Beach Fishing Pier.

"The Washout means different things to different people," Killermann said.

He said, in general, a younger crowd will be found at The Washout than at the more family-oriented commercial area around the pier or at Folly Beach County Park at the island's west end.

"Everybody is pretty much friendly and low-key. It's a nice medley of different types of people," Tori Hayes, 24, a Charleston cosmetologist, said about people she meets at The Washout.

The city's Web site at http://folly beach.com credits Hurricane Hugo's 1989 destructive path with creating The Washout. "Where a block of homes once stood, the wind now blows unimpeded across the beach, through the wetlands and then to the Folly River. This wind effect is what experts claim causes the water there to 'roll' so well," the Web page states. "Experienced surfers claim this is where you can experience the best waves on the South Carolina coast."

"The Washout definitely has the best waves in South Carolina," attested Stephen McGuigan. He and fellow College of Charleston students trek to The Washout as often as their schedules allow.

"We'd come out here every day" if possible, insisted Will Joseph, who surfed with McGuigan while their girlfriends, Liane Delacruz and Ashley Gray, relaxed in the surf.

City Administrator Toni Connor-Rooks has said the city expects to reap $200,000 a year from Washout area parking fees. City Councilwoman Laura Beck said she's trying to get council to agree to issue year-round parking passes, but she and Mayor Carl Beckmann Jr. have not agreed on the parking pass price.

Beck said she'd like the annual fee to be a money saver for those who come to The Washout most often.

The Washout has generated worldwide attention and can be viewed live on the Web via www.follysurfcam.com, or go to YouTube and enter "Surf Folly Washout" to see a video.

Reach Edward C. Fennell at efennell@postandcourier.com or 745-5560.