A wooden beach walkway and a palmetto tree above a wide, empty Ocean Isle Beach on a clear morning
Ocean Isle Beach · Brunswick County · North Carolina

Ocean Isle Beach, made easy.

Today's weather, water and tides. The 29 beach accesses on the Town's map (4 are emergency accesses, 1 is a private paid lot) on a top-down satellite view, with the ones the Town marks handicap accessible. And the rules and parking prices, straight from the Town.

Open the beach access map → Free beach wheelchairs & access
29public beach accesses on the Town's map
Freebeach wheelchairs from the Town
Paidparking 9 to 5, Apr 1 to Oct 31. Rates and how to pay
Nonelifeguards on duty, the Town says. NWS beach forecast ↗

Photo: a beach walkway at Ocean Isle Beach. Justin Champion, CC BY-SA 3.0 · credits

Today on Ocean Isle Beach

Right now
72°
Loading forecast…
Water temp · nearby sensor
75°
Ocean water
Rip current risk
Check today ↗
It changes day to day. Get today's risk from the National Weather Service surf zone forecast: look for Coastal Brunswick.
Tide
Rising
Loading tides…
Sunset
7:00
 
Lifeguards
None on duty
The Town says it does not have lifeguards on duty. What to do in a rip current ↓

Live from the National Weather Service and NOAA. If a box says unavailable, check the official source.

Tides (nearest NOAA station)

Loading the next tides…

NOAA station 8659897 at Sunset Beach Pier, about 5 miles west. Ocean Isle times are close to these; predicted times, Eastern.

5-day outlook

National Weather Service, Wilmington NC · water temp: NOAA sensor at Springmaid Pier, Myrtle Beach SC
Top-down beach map

Every access, from the west end to the east end.

A satellite view of the 29 beach accesses on the Town's map, plus Town Center Park, the Community Center restrooms, Ferry Landing Park and the extra parking lots. Pick a section to zoom in, then tap any pin for parking and directions.

Full-screen map →
Ocean Isle Beach from above
Beach accessHandicap accessible (Town map)Park / restroomsExtra parking lot
Beach access for everyone

Free beach wheelchairs, and 5 accessible accesses.

The Town lends beach wheelchairs free of charge, first come, first served, for up to 3 days. Its map marks 5 handicap accessible beach accesses: Beaufort St., Monroe St., Concord St., Raeford St. and Durham St.

Freebeach wheelchair loans, up to 3 days
5beach accesses marked handicap accessible
Freeparking in a designated handicapped space
9–sunsetCommunity Center restrooms, 44 E. First St
How to borrow a beach wheelchair →

Plan a wheelchair beach day

  1. Get the chair. Free, first come, first served. Weekdays: Planning & Inspections at Town Hall, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, 910-579-3469. No Saturdays. For Sunday, call or visit Police before 4:30 pm Friday, 910-579-4221. Bring a driver's license.
  2. Bring a truck, big SUV or trailer. The chair is 36" wide, 49" long and 48" tall. It won't fit in a car.
  3. Pick up at the Community Center, 44 E. First St. Monroe St., one of the blue accesses, is next door, and so are the restrooms. The chair can't leave the island.

From the Town's Beach Wheelchairs and beach-access map pages. The Town doesn't mention beach mats, so we don't list any.

Coming up on the island

What's on soon.

All events →
Explore

More than the beach.

The Ocean Isle Beach fishing pier seen through sea oats on the dune

Parks, the pier & the water

Town Center Park, Ferry Landing Park on the sound, the fishing pier, charters and gear rentals.
Ocean Isle Beach seen from the bridge, with the waterway and the island's houses

Eat & shop

Restaurants and ice cream on the island and the causeway, plus groceries and pharmacies toward Shallotte.
Shells spread along the wide beach at Ocean Isle after a storm

Rules & paid parking

Dog hours, gear-off-the-beach times and parking prices, from the Town's own pages.
The arched bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway to Ocean Isle Beach

Where to stay

Vacation rental companies with offices on the island or the causeway.
Beach safety

No lifeguards. Know the rip.

The Town of Ocean Isle Beach says it does not have lifeguards on duty, and that your children's safety in the water is entirely up to you. Rip current risk changes day to day, so check the National Weather Service beach forecast before you go in, and never swim alone.

🌐 En español: seguridad en la playa →

📞
Emergency: 911Police non-emergency: 910-579-4221
🐢
Sea turtles: lights off at nightLeave marked nests alone. Report a turtle or a crawl: OIB Sea Turtle Protection Organization, 910-880-8715
🏄
No surfing within 1000 ft of the pierThe Town allows surfing east of Monroe St. and west of Oxford St.

Caught in a rip current?

  1. Don't fight it. Rips pull you away from shore. Stay calm and save your energy.
  2. Swim parallel to the shoreline until you're out of the pull, then angle back in.
  3. Float and wave if you can't swim out. Yell for help.
  4. Helping someone? Call 911 and throw something that floats. Don't swim in after them.

General rip-current advice from the National Weather Service.