Surf Cat

Myrtle Beach resident Nada Nikolic has faith that God will keep her and her home safe as Hurricane Dorian inches along the South Carolina coastline.

And on Tuesday she enjoyed the beautiful day at the beach she believed God made ahead of the storm’s arrival.

“God is Good. He will help everybody on this Earth, and he knows what he is doing,” she said. “I trust in my God.”

Myrtle Beach was sunny and warm just one day before the hurricane is expected to bring hazardous rain, winds and storm-surge to the area late Wednesday evening into Thursday.

The beach at 65th Ave North was crowded for Tuesday at noon with locals reading, swimming and enjoying the day.

Surfing before a hurricane’s arrival is a Myrtle Beach tradition. Dozens of surfers were in the water, despite swimming warnings the previous day.

Blake Mazanec and his friend Logan Williams were skimboarding together through the choppy waters. Mazanec said he moved here three weeks ago from Maryland, and this will be his first hurricane so close to the water.

He’s heard they can be rough, but for the moment he was focused on the waves.

“I’m just out here for the surf,” Mazanec said. “I like the big waves.”

Surfer Connor West is a Myrtle Beach local who was surprised by the amount of people out on the beach on a Tuesday morning, but he figured the big waves were bringing people out.

“It’s just a typical Tuesday, just with much bigger waves,” West said. “I don’t know if I am leaving yet. I might stay or I might leave.”

West and Nikolic are still unsure if they’re going to be evacuated even though the storm’s expected arrival is Wednesday evening. Nikolic said she is keeping an eye on the weather but is probably going to stick it out.

Mary Loui Godbold and Jim Wellington were walking along the beach. Wellington’s home flooded during a past hurricane, but he and Godbold are going to stick it out together.

They both moved here a month ago and don’t want to leave their beach home. They found plenty of sharks teeth washed up by the large waves.

“We’re going to ride it out,” Godbold said. “We’re excited and nervous.”