Surf Forecasts:
Columbia St surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period, SE swell with 68 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Columbia St this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Columbia St in the next 16 days are 0.6m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Columbia St over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with you – this forecast for Columbia St is a real tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with hardly a wave worth paddling for. The first proper surfable day doesn’t even show up until Monday the 17th of August, and even then, it’s barely a ripple. Before that, from now right through to Sunday the 16th, it’s all tiny, weak, and messy – nothing but flat spells and onshore junk. The water’s sitting at a warm 83°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Monday the 17th morning is the first glimmer. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell pushing in from the SE, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is still weak at 90, so don’t expect any grunt. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the WSW, so the surface will be clean. But honestly, it’s so small and weak it’s really only a splash-around for a beginner. Afternoon spoils it with a onshore breeze anyway.
The rest of that week stays stubbornly poor. The swell tries to pick up a bit around Wednesday the 19th, with the combined energy climbing to 212 (moderate), and a 3 ft to 3 ft SE swell with a long 12-second period. That period is a bit of a tease – it’s a groundswell, but at a beach break like this, a long period SE swell can be straight and tricky. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore from the E, so it’s going to be choppy and messy. Not worth getting excited about.
Into the second week, it’s more of the same – nothing really stands out. The best of a bad bunch might be Tuesday the 25th of August afternoon, when the swell hits 4 ft from the ENE with a 6-second period (short and weak), and the combined energy is 120 (moderate). But the wind is cross-onshore from the ESE, so it’s going to be a bumpy, poor-quality wave. Too small and weak for anything but a beginner, and the onshore wind kills it.
Honestly, there’s no standout day here. The whole 16-day window is a dud. The swell is consistently small, the wind is often wrong, and the quality is just not there. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a real dry spell. Sometimes you just have to wait for the next system to roll through.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 33°C on Tue afternoon, min 26°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 33°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SE 8 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4 | 4 | 24 | 33 | 30 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 22 | 10 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 14 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:09PM1.59m | 6:31AM1.28m | 7:01PM1.63m | 7:23AM1.37m | 7:50PM1.63m | 8:13AM1.43m | 8:38PM1.60m | 9:04AM1.47m | 9:27PM1.53m | 9:57AM1.48m | 10:17PM1.44m | 10:49AM1.47m | 11:07PM1.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:42AM-0.04m | 00:46AM0.04m | 12:41PM-0.08m | 1:38AM-0.02m | 1:38PM-0.10m | 2:26AM-0.06m | 2:31PM-0.11m | 3:10AM-0.08m | 3:20PM-0.09m | 3:53AM-0.06m | 4:08PM-0.03m | 4:34AM-0.02m | 4:56PM0.07m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — |
mm | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Feels °C | 31 | 34 | 30 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 36 | 34 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SE 10 | SE 6 | S 5 | ESE 6 | SE 8 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | SE 6 | S 6 | SSE 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | E 5 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 28 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 33 | 39 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 21 | 33 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | — | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | — | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | E 5 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | — | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | — | — | 10 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | — | E 8 | SE 9 | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 12 | SE 8 | E 11 | — | S 6 | S 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 4 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 10 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 15 | 14 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | — | — | — | — | S 5 | SSW 5 | — | S 5 | — | — | E 3 | ENE 5 | E 4 | — | — |
| kJ | — | 28 | 24 | 33 | 30 | 26 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 22 | — | 20 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 550 | 2557 | 118 | 33 | 596 | 331 | 161 | 855 | 118 | 1553 | 2047 | 114 | 111 | 226 | 21 | 111 | 818 | 49 | 323 | 1224 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Columbia St surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Columbia St Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Columbia St provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Columbia St can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Columbia St surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Columbia St) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Columbia St may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Columbia St is 12 km (7 miles) from the city of Wilmington. If you plan a vacation in North Carolina, look for hotels and other accommodation in Wilmington. Wilmington has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest