A wide, quiet Sunset Beach seen from the sand at the 36th Street access
Sunset Beach & Calabash · Brunswick County · North Carolina

Sunset Beach, made easy.

Today's weather, water and tides. The 33 beach accesses on the Town's map on a top-down satellite view, with the 4 handicap-accessible walkways. The walk to Bird Island and the Kindred Spirit mailbox. And the rules and parking prices, straight from the Town.

Open the beach access map → Surf chairs & accessible walkways
33public beach accesses on the Town's map
4handicap-accessible walkways: the Gazebo, 1st, 3rd and 40th St.
Paidparking 9 to 5, Apr 1 to Oct 31. Rates and how to pay
Nonelifeguards; the beach is patrolled by day, the Town says. NWS beach forecast ↗

Photo: Sunset Beach from the 36th Street access. hackamac, CC BY-SA 3.0 · credits

Today at Sunset 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
Patrolled by day, but no lifeguards, the Town says. Watch the warning flags. 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 (NOAA Sunset Beach station)

Loading the next tides…

NOAA tide prediction station 8659897, Sunset Beach. 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 Bird Island to the east end.

A satellite view of the 33 beach accesses on the Town's map, the Town's paid lots, Town Park and the Bird Island Coastal Reserve. Pick a section to zoom in, then tap any pin for directions.

Full-screen map →
Sunset Beach from above
Beach accessHandicap-accessible walkway (Town map)Park / reserveTown paid lot
Beach access for everyone

Surf chairs, and 4 accessible walkways.

The Town rents SurfChairs and beach walkers for $10 a day (from July 1, 2026) and delivers them on the island. It lists 4 handicap-accessible walkways: the Gazebo, 1st St., 3rd St. and 40th St.

$10a day for a SurfChair or walker, delivered
4handicap-accessible walkways on the Town map
Freeparking in a marked handicap space with a plate or hangtag
36 hrsapply at least this far ahead
How to rent a surf chair →

Plan a wheelchair beach day

  1. Apply online, then pay. At least 36 hours before you want it. Questions: Town Hall, 910-579-6297 ext. 1000.
  2. The Town delivers. Inside the town limits, 8 am to noon; pickups from 2 pm. No weekend or holiday deliveries.
  3. Head for a blue access. The Gazebo, 1st, 3rd and 40th St. have the accessible walkways. The Gazebo and Street Scape lots have handicap spaces.

From the Town's Beach SurfChairs & Walkers and beach access pages. The Town doesn't mention beach mats, so we don't list any.

At the west end

Bird Island & the Kindred Spirit mailbox.

West of the houses, the beach runs on into the Bird Island Coastal Reserve, an undeveloped state reserve. Walk west from the 40th St. access: the Kindred Spirit mailbox, where visitors leave notes in the notebooks, is about 1.4 miles out, 2.8 miles there and back.

  • 🥾
    Guided walks, third WednesdaysVolunteer-led, 10 am from the marsh lookout at 40th St. and W. Main St., October 21, 2026 to May 19, 2027. Dates →
  • 🐾
    Leave it as you find itNo fires, fireworks, camping or motor vehicles on the reserve; dogs on a leash. Bikes are OK on the ocean beach.
More on Bird Island →
The Kindred Spirit mailbox standing in the dunes on Bird Island

The Kindred Spirit mailbox on Bird Island. Zach Rudisin, CC BY-SA 3.0

Coming up

What's on soon.

All events →

Full, up-to-date calendars: Town of Sunset Beach ↗ · Town of Calabash ↗ · Brunswick County events ↗

Explore

More than the beach.

The Ingram Planetarium building in Sunset Beach

Things to do

Bird Island, the fishing pier, Town Park on the waterway, the Old Bridge museum and the planetarium.
Shrimp boats tied up on the Calabash River

Calabash, next door

The fishing village on the Calabash River: shrimp boats, fishing trips and the seafood it's known for.
Sunset Beach houses behind the dunes at dusk

Eat & shop

Restaurants, ice cream and groceries in Sunset Beach and Calabash.
The view west from the Sunset Beach bridge over the waterway

Where to stay

Vacation rental companies, an inn, golf resorts and a campground.
Beach safety

No lifeguards. Know the rip.

The Town of Sunset Beach says the beach is patrolled during the day but has no lifeguards, so swimmers have to use their own judgment and watch the warning flags. 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: 910-253-7490
🚩
Warning flagsThe Town flies yellow, red, double red and purple warning flags. Check the flag at your access before you swim.
🐢
A turtle sanctuaryEverything off the sand by sunset and nothing set up before 7 am. Leave marked nests alone.
🏄
No surfing from 5th to 32nd St.May 1 to October 31, the Town says.

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.