
Surf Forecasts:
Fort Fisher surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 6s period, ENE swell with 205 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fort Fisher this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Fort Fisher in the next 16 days are 1.7m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fort Fisher over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you about what’s coming up for Fort Fisher over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it’s a pretty grim run. We’re looking at a solid stretch of, well, not much. For days on end the conditions are just poor. It’s not until the middle of the second week that we might see something that gets the heart rate up, but even that comes with some serious wind baggage.
We kick off on Friday the 11th with some tiny 2 ft SE swell, but the wind is all wrong, and it’s messy. Saturday and Sunday the 12th and 13th are pretty much the same story – knee-high dribble with cross-off winds that might look clean on paper but the energy is just gone. The combined energy is sitting in the 30-40 range, which is weak. Forget it.
Monday the 14th has a moment that’s almost cruel. We get a glassy morning with the wind swinging to a light WNW at just 3 mph. But the swell is a paltry 1 ft from the ESE with a period of 9 seconds. It’s clean, but it’s flat. The water temp is sitting at a normal 81°, so it’s not a wetsuit issue, it’s a ‘no waves’ issue.
Tuesday the 15th brings a jump in size – 4 ft from the ENE on the morning – but the period is a short, weak 6 seconds and the wind is a nasty NE cross-onshore at 16 mph. The energy climbs into the moderate bracket at 143, but it’s messy, choppy, and useless for a proper session.
Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are more of the same: onshore winds, short period swell, poor surf conditions. The energy stays moderate (low 100s) but the quality is just not there.
We get a bit of a drop on the 18th, down to 2 ft, with light cross-onshore winds. Still not worth paddling out for.
Then there’s a real dead patch. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th see swell drop to 0.7 ft to 1 ft, with onshore winds and even a risk of t-storms. A long period 12-second groundswell appears on the 19th, but it’s only 0.7 ft – a phantom.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday the 21st of September is the first real standout, but with a major caveat. The swell jumps to 5 ft in the morning and 6 ft in the afternoon, from the ENE with a short 6-second period. The energy jumps to a strong 238. But the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the combined energy is high (184-238). For paddle surfing, the conditions are still poor. Honestly, with that much wind and that kind of short-period, chunky swell, this setup at Fort Fisher (beach and reef) looks more interesting for kite surfing than a traditional paddle session.
Tuesday the 22nd is probably the best bet, but it’s not for everyone. We get 5 ft to 5 ft of east swell with a 7-second period, and the wind swings to a cross-off from the NNW at 16 mph. The water should be clean. The energy is solid at 225-239. This is solidly in the intermediate-to-expert range; at over 5 ft it’s getting too big for beginners. It’s not a perfect barrel, but it’s the best quality on offer. Just keep in mind, it can get crowded at Fort Fisher, so you won’t be alone.
The rest of the week into the 26th is a mixed bag of similar-sized east swell (4 ft to 5 ft) but with persistent cross-onshore or cross-off winds that keep the quality from being truly epic. There might be a few fun ones, but there’s no real standout after the 22nd.
So, the bottom line: a long dry spell, one solid but windy pulse on the 21st that favors kites, and then a cleaner, punchy session on Tuesday the 22nd for the more experienced crew. Keep an eye out, because forecasts can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri afternoon, min 26°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | ESE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 19 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 45 | 41 | 39 | 30 | 30 | 159 | 139 | 72 | 118 | 88 | 80 | 64 | 132 | 81 | 45 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:36PM1.65m | 9:02AM1.66m | 9:18PM1.60m | 9:47AM1.65m | 10:01PM1.54m | 10:33AM1.63m | 10:46PM1.47m | 11:20AM1.60m | 11:33PM1.41m | 12:09PM1.56m | 00:22AM1.37m | 12:59PM1.54m | 1:12AM1.34m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:11PM-0.01m | 2:38AM-0.02m | 3:00PM0.03m | 3:19AM0.01m | 3:46PM0.09m | 3:58AM0.07m | 4:30PM0.16m | 4:35AM0.14m | 5:15PM0.25m | 5:09AM0.21m | 6:01PM0.33m | 5:45AM0.27m | 6:51PM0.40m | |||||||
— | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 31 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SSW 5 | S 5 | ESE 9 | — | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | SE 14 | SE 14 | E 9 | SE 13 | SE 13 | E 7 |
25 | 19 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 45 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 30 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 7 | 6 | 45 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | ESE 9 | S 5 | — | — | E 15 | — | — | — | SE 14 | — | E 9 | SE 13 |
1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | 30 | 8 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | — | 2 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | S 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 7 | — |
6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 33 | — | — | 159 | 139 | 72 | 118 | 88 | 80 | 64 | 132 | 81 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1599 | 296 | 290 | 1236 | 313 | 73 | 38 | 13 | 70 | 835 | 514 | 127 | 127 | 621 | 833 | 22 | 12 | 127 | 680 | 302 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Fort Fisher Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Fort Fisher provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fort Fisher can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fort Fisher 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 (Fort Fisher) 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 Fort Fisher 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.
Are you planning a vacation in North Carolina? If you are looking for accommodation near Fort Fisher, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Wilmington which is 41 km (25 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Myrtle Beach which is 90 km (56 miles) away










