Surf Forecasts:
Hobe Sound/The Refuge surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, ENE swell with 94 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hobe Sound/The Refuge this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Hobe Sound/The Refuge in the next 16 days are 0.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hobe Sound/The Refuge over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let's be straight with you. The finder for this region is telling me there isn't a single decent surf option in the entire 16-day window. That's a long stretch of flat or junk, so we're looking at a real dry spell starting now and lasting all the way through to the end of the outlook on August 18th. Every single session is marked as "poor surf conditions," so don't bother paddling out unless you just want to sit on a board and bake.
The only break on the list is Hobe Sound/The Refuge. It's a beach and reef setup, fairly consistent normally, and exposed to swell from the NE. The problem is, the swell just isn't showing up. We're talking tiny dribbles of waves – most of the time the swell height is under 2 ft, with periods as short as 4 to 8 seconds. That's pure wind chop, not real swell. The combined wave energy stays in the weak range, mostly under 100 (13 to 85), so there's no power behind anything.
A quick look at the conditions: Tuesday morning on August 4th gave us a moment of glassy water, but with only 0.7 ft of swell, it's a non-event. The rest of the time we're stuck with cross-on or onshore winds from the E or SE, mostly 6 to 16 mph, keeping things choppy and messy. The water temp is about 85°, which is normal for the time of year, so at least it's warm.
Because the swell stays so small and the quality is poor, this setup honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through most of it. For the few days around August 6th to 9th, we see a bump up to 3 ft to 4 ft, but the period is a pathetic 5 seconds, and the winds are onshore and choppy. Not worth a session.
There's a tiny glimmer on August 18th Tuesday morning – a 3 ft swell from the NE with a 7-second period, and light variable winds from the SE at 3 mph. The energy creeps up to 72, but it's still a "poor surf conditions" call. If you're desperate, you could look, but don't expect anything.
Bottom line: this is one of those blank runs that's more normal for the area when the trade winds dominate and no groundswell pushes in. Forecasts can change, but right now, leave the boards in the shed.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sat afternoon, min 28°C on Thu afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | ENE 6 | E 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | E 4 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 5 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 38 | 34 | 55 | 69 | 59 | 75 | 34 | 41 | 44 | 31 | 26 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:49PM0.94m | 12:30PM0.94m | 00:33AM0.91m | 1:25PM0.93m | 1:25AM0.90m | 2:27PM0.92m | 2:27AM0.89m | 3:36PM0.93m | 3:36AM0.90m | 4:46PM0.96m | 4:48AM0.94m | 5:51PM1.01m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:43PM0.11m | 6:08AM0.01m | 6:34PM0.15m | 7:01AM0.01m | 7:32PM0.19m | 8:03AM0.01m | 8:38PM0.21m | 9:09AM-0.00m | 9:46PM0.21m | 10:16AM-0.02m | 10:52PM0.19m | 11:21AM-0.06m | 11:54PM0.14m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
mm | 2 | 21 | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 31 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 34 | 29 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | S 4 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | S 4 | S 5 | E 7 | NE 9 | NE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 8 | ENE 6 | SSE 5 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 34 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 4 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | SE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | SE 8 | — | E 8 | SSE 5 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 4 | S 3 | — | SE 8 | — | — | NE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | S 6 | — | NE 10 | — | — | NE 9 | — | — | E 7 | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | 13 | — | — | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | SE 5 | E 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | E 4 |
| kJ | 5 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 38 | 34 | 55 | 69 | 59 | 75 | 16 | 41 | 44 | 31 | 26 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 130 | 87 | 308 | 301 | 308 | 308 | 1589 | 317 | 800 | 1583 | 333 | 1003 | 380 | 818 | 130 | 1380 | 184 | 281 | 1637 | 184 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Hobe Sound/The Refuge Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hobe Sound/The Refuge provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hobe Sound/The Refuge can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hobe Sound/The Refuge 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 (Hobe Sound/The Refuge) 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 Hobe Sound/The Refuge 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.
Hobe Sound/The Refuge is 14 km (9 miles) from Palm City. If you plan a vacation in South Florida, look for hotels and other accommodation in Palm City. Palm City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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