Surf Forecasts:
Holden Beach surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, S swell with 208 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Holden Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Holden Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Holden Beach in the next 16 days are 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 5PM. 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 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Holden Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for Holden Beach over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it's looking pretty bleak. The whole run is a write-off, so don't bother waxing up just yet.
We're staring down the barrel of a 16-day period with absolutely no decent surf. The first real chance of anything would be a Wednesday morning, July 29th, with some tiny 3ft swell from the SSW, but the conditions are just 'surfable waves but very ordinary conditions'. That's a best-case scenario, and it's not good. The wind is a cross-offshore, which is clean, but the combined energy is a measly 63 (weak), and the period is a short 6 seconds. It's just not gonna have any push.
After that, the rest of the forecast is a long, sad story of "poor surf conditions". The swell tries to pick up a little around the 2nd of August, hitting 4ft from the S with a combined energy of 128 (moderate), but the wind is onshore and messy, making it a total no-go. There's a day on the 8th of August with bigger energy (180, moderate) and a 4ft SSW swell, but again, it's cross-onshore and choppy. For a beach break like Holden Beach, strong onshore winds just turn it into a washing machine. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The water is warm, sitting at 85°F with a temp anomaly of 2°F, which is a bit warmer than usual for this time of year, but that's the only highlight. It's a dry spell, but for an inconsistent spot like this, it's not totally out of the ordinary. Hang tight, the forecasts can change, but for now, there's nothing to chase.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 30°C on Thu night, min 25°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 8 | SSW 4 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 7 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SSE 8 | S 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15 | 23 | 34 | 171 | 47 | 47 | 101 | 51 | 37 | 27 | 9 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 46 | 26 | 23 | 54 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:02AM1.19m | 7:38PM1.52m | 7:45AM1.23m | 8:16PM1.54m | 8:27AM1.28m | 8:54PM1.54m | 9:09AM1.31m | 9:32PM1.52m | 9:52AM1.34m | 10:10PM1.48m | 10:36AM1.37m | 10:50PM1.42m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:29AM0.37m | 1:13PM0.23m | 2:06AM0.34m | 1:53PM0.22m | 2:42AM0.31m | 2:32PM0.22m | 3:16AM0.29m | 3:12PM0.24m | 3:50AM0.27m | 3:52PM0.27m | 4:25AM0.25m | 4:36PM0.31m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | 8:16 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | SSE 6 | SE 9 | — | SE 7 | SSE 8 | — |
| kJ | 15 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 47 | 32 | 101 | 51 | 37 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 3 | — | 13 | 23 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 9 | E 8 | — | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | — | SSE 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | SSW 5 | S 5 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 4 | 9 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 5 | 2 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | NE 5 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 5 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 3 | SSW 4 | SW 6 | — | SSW 6 | S 6 | N 2 | — | — | — | S 6 | SE 3 | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | S 5 |
| kJ | — | 3 | 34 | 171 | — | 47 | 64 | 1 | — | — | — | 20 | 2 | 13 | 17 | 46 | 26 | 19 | 54 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 327 | 828 | 828 | 378 | 30 | 0 | 112 | 9 | 82 | 312 | 273 | 861 | 552 | 378 | 971 | 972 | 1601 | 549 | 377 |
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)
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 Holden Beach 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 Holden Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Holden Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Holden Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Holden Beach 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 (Holden Beach) 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 Holden Beach 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 Holden Beach, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Wilmington which is 48 km (30 miles) away. Other places in and around North Carolina where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Myrtle Beach which is 70 km (43 miles) away and Socastee, 80 km (50 miles) away.
Nearest