Surf Forecasts:
Holden Beach surf forecast from 13 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, SSW swell with 299 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 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 Sunday (Jul 19) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 6s period. 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 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Holden Beach over the next 16 days.
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down Holden Beach for the next 16 days. The truth is, it’s a long, quiet stretch. The first real chance of anything surfable doesn’t roll in until Sunday, July 19th, and even then, it’s rough. That’s a gap of over a week with nothing worth paddling for.
The problem is nearly every day has onshore or cross-shore winds, and the swell is tiny. We’re looking at ankle-to-knee-high waves – 1 to 2 feet – with short, weak intervals. The combined energy numbers are all in the double digits, which is totally flat for a beach break. The only time the energy jumps up is on Sunday, July 19th, hitting 299 (moderate energy) in the afternoon with a 6-foot swell from the SSW, but it’s blowing 30 km/h onshore. That’s not for surfing; that’s kite territory.
The best we’ve got is a couple of mornings around July 20th and 22nd. On Monday, July 20th, the morning shows a 4-foot S swell with a clean offshore wind from the NNE. The energy is 113 (moderate), and the period is 7 seconds – short, but it’s the cleanest we’ll get. The water temp is 84°, which is 2° warmer than average for this time of year – a nice warm bath, but the waves are just ordinary. Then on Wednesday, July 22nd, the morning goes glassy with a light NW wind, 3 feet of SSE swell, and a 6-second period. It’s small, but glassy. Both of those mornings are “surfable but very ordinary,” and they’re the only standouts in a flat run.
For a beginner spot, the 6-foot on the 19th is too big and messy, and the 4-foot on the 20th is about the limit for a learner in clean conditions, but the crowd factor is “sometimes” – so you might have a few out. The break is inconsistent, so don’t expect much.
Bottom line: don’t get your hopes up. The following week stays tiny and choppy. It’s a blank run for Holden Beach, and that’s just how it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board in the car.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 33°C on Fri afternoon, min 25°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | S 7 | SSW 7 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 26 | 15 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 43 | 149 | 299 | 137 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on |
High Tide | 7:26PM1.82m | 7:38AM1.40m | 8:19PM1.83m | 8:34AM1.44m | 9:11PM1.79m | 9:30AM1.46m | 10:01PM1.72m | 10:24AM1.47m | 10:50PM1.62m | 11:19AM1.46m | 11:39PM1.50m | 12:14PM1.43m | 00:27AM1.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:52PM-0.04m | 1:53AM0.13m | 1:47PM-0.06m | 2:44AM0.11m | 2:41PM-0.04m | 3:33AM0.10m | 3:35PM0.02m | 4:21AM0.11m | 4:29PM0.11m | 5:08AM0.14m | 5:24PM0.21m | 5:56AM0.19m | 6:22PM0.32m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — |
mm | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 21 |
Temp °C | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 28 |
Feels °C | 30 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 5 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SSW 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — |
| kJ | 21 | 20 | 11 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 43 | 66 | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | ENE 5 | SE 9 | E 6 | SSW 5 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | E 6 | — | ESE 8 | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 4 | 9 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 3 | — | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | — | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | E 6 | SW 5 | — | — | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 4 | E 4 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | — | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | — | S 7 | SSW 7 | S 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 14 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 26 | — | 20 | 17 | 11 | 18 | — | 149 | 299 | 137 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 827 | 1256 | 9 | 9 | 1256 | 9 | 308 | 827 | 665 | 972 | 591 | 52 | 1601 | 2150 | 1601 | 1751 | 2345 | 572 | 46 | 491 | 12 |
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