Holden Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(North Carolina, USA)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Holden Beach Surf Guide

Holden Beach in North Carolina is an exposed beach break that has inconsistent surf. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. The best wind direction is from the north. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the best swell direction is from the south. The beach break offers both left and right hand waves. Best around high tide. A fairly popluar wave that can sometimes get crowded Take care of the strong rips here.

Holden Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	2	inconsistent	20.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Holden Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Holden Beach occur when a South swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Holden Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

augustBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Holden Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 16% of the time in August while 59% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 25% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

16%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

59%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

25%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Holden Beach Location Map

Interactive Holden Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Holden Beach is Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in USA, 48 km (30 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Holden Beach is Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR), also in USA, 73 km (45 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Holden Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Saturday, 9 May 2026, 17:46 Local Time

m, °C	Saturday 09			Sun
ft, °F	5PM	8PM	11PM	2AM
Wave (m)	ESE	S	SW	SE
Period (s)	8	4	4	6
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross	cross

What does Holden Beach look like?

Latest photos from Holden Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: jeremy suggs

Tides at Holden Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Oak Island, 2 km from Holden Beach.

Next High Water: 02:05am | 1.34m

Next Low Water: 07:35pm | 0.47m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Holden Beach Sea Temperature

Warm in and out of the water temperature at Holden Beach today, but forecast to be overcast. With sea temperatures of 20.2 °C and a wind chill of 23.0 °C, most surfers will choose a shorty or a summer suit or just board shorts.

Today, many surfers would wear a shorty.

Current Temp*: 20.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Holden Beach

Surf stats for Holden Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Holden Beach

Wind stats for Holden Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Holden Beach Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 9 votes.

Overall:2.0
Quality on a good day:3.0
Consistency of Surf:2.7
Difficulty Level:2.2
Wind and Kite Surfing:3.7
Crowds:3.7
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Herb from United States

“Marine fisheries has done absolutely nothing to help maintain the Southern Flounder population which has been virtually non existent down here for over a decade .

Way way too much gill netting is allowed and then you have the giggers , there used to be fisherman on every dock but every single one of them will tell you it's by far the worst fishing they have ever experienced.

Most don't bother anymore it's God awful .

Gill nets continue to kill countless loggerheaed turtles and all types of birds, otters etc...

The marine fisheries never witness it since you might see one marine patrol officer pass by every couple of months .”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Holden Beach. Click below to view there surf guides.