Surf Forecasts:
Hobe Sound/The Refuge surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 5s period, SSE swell with 93 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 1.3m 5s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hobe Sound/The Refuge over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty checking in. Let’s be straight with you right now: the next 16 days are looking flat and quiet for the Hobe Sound area. There’s a long stretch of nothing good to ride, so if you’re a paddle surfer, you might want to take a break and do something else.
Starting off, Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, we’ve got a tiny swell around 3ft to 4ft coming from the SSE, but the wind is cross to cross-onshore and choppy. The water’s warm at 86°, which is about normal for this time of year, but the wave energy is weak (45 to 82). It’s just not worth paddling out.
From Wednesday the 22nd all the way through to Sunday the 4th of August, the swell barely shows up. Heights are mostly 0.7ft to 1ft, with a few tiny bumps of 2ft to 3ft near the end. The wind does turn offshore or glassy a few times, like on Sunday the 26th morning (W wind, 9 mph, clean) and Sunday the 26th afternoon (glassy, 1ft). But when the swell is that small, even clean conditions won’t give you a wave to ride. The combined wave energy stays low (7 to 38), so there’s no power behind it.
The only break in the area is Hobe Sound/The Refuge, a beach and reef setup. It’s fairly consistent normally, but with these tiny swells, it’s not breaking properly. The water is warm, but the anomaly is only 1° above normal, so nothing special there.
The one standout? Honestly, the best conditions come on Sunday the 26th when the wind goes glassy in the afternoon and the morning is offshore. But with a swell of only 1ft from the ENE, it’s really just a flat day with nice wind. If you’re a beginner, it’s too small to learn on. For experts, it’s a total non-event.
Given the persistent lack of swell and the poor surf quality, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially with the cross-on winds on many days.
So, plain and simple: no good surf options in the 16-day window. The wave energy is weak, the swell is tiny, and the wind is often onshore or cross. It’s a quiet stretch for Hobe Sound. Hang tight, forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a flat spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 27°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sat morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | E 8 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 37 | 74 | 59 | 27 | 27 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 11 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:18PM0.91m | 1:26AM0.89m | 2:11PM0.87m | 2:15AM0.84m | 3:07PM0.83m | 3:08AM0.80m | 4:04PM0.81m | 4:04AM0.78m | 5:01PM0.81m | 5:00AM0.78m | 5:54PM0.83m | 5:53AM0.80m | 6:42PM0.86m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:39PM0.12m | 8:06AM0.01m | 8:34PM0.17m | 9:00AM0.04m | 9:29PM0.21m | 9:53AM0.07m | 10:23PM0.23m | 10:45AM0.08m | 11:15PM0.23m | 11:35AM0.07m | 00:03AM0.22m | 12:21PM0.05m | 00:49AM0.20m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — |
mm | — | 4 | 8 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 4 | 4 | — | 3 | 10 |
Temp °C | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 30 |
Feels °C | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 4 | SSE 4 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 4 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 7 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 4 | 11 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | SSE 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | SSE 4 | ENE 8 | E 7 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — | NE 10 | E 8 | E 8 | — | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | ESE 4 | — | N 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | — | SSE 4 |
| kJ | 37 | 74 | 59 | 27 | 27 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 16 | — | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 11 | 8 | — | — | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 851 | 875 | 79 | 819 | 1589 | 236 | 219 | 1071 | 238 | 280 | 734 | 219 | 87 | 750 | 29 | 70 | 287 | 70 | 92 | 308 | 92 |
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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