Holden Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Holden Beach.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, it’s a pretty flat and quiet run. There are no real standouts, no days where the swell lines up with good wind, and the energy is just too low to get excited about. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until the end of the month, and even then, it’s just a brief moment.

The water temperature is sitting right around 84°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We start off on Tuesday, July 28th with nothing. Swell is a tiny 1ft from the SE with a short 8-second period, and the wind is onshore and choppy. The combined energy is weak (25). Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday, July 29th sees a tiny bump in swell – 3ft from the SSW with a 6-second period, but the energy is still low (58). The wind does go cross-offshore in the morning, which cleans things up, but the waves are just too small and weak to make it fun. The afternoon is similar, with a "surfable but very ordinary" vibe.

Thursday, July 30th is a no-go. The swell drops back to 2ft, and while the wind turns offshore in the morning, the period is short (6 seconds) and the energy is minimal (39). The waves lack any punch.

From Friday, July 31st through to Saturday, August 2nd, it’s a steady diet of onshore winds and tiny, weak swell. The energy stays under 70, and the wave heights hover around 2ft to 3ft. There’s a storm risk on the Sunday, but with the wind howling onshore and the swell still pathetic, it’s a miss.

Monday, August 3rd is the biggest swell of the entire period, hitting 4ft from the S. The combined energy cranks up to 276, which is moderate. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is a strong cross-onshore, and there are thunderstorms. The surf report says "poor surf conditions." It’s going to be a messy, choppy wall. For a beginner spot, 4ft is getting a little punchy, but with the wind, it’s just not clean. Kite surfers might have a fun time here, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a skip.

After that, the swell fades fast. Tuesday, August 4th through to the end of the forecast on Wednesday, August 12th is a long, flat stretch. Waves are tiny – 1.0ft to 3ft – with very low energy readings (often under 50). The wind does go glassy on the morning of Wednesday, August 5th, but the swell is only 1ft from the SE with a 7-second period and a combined energy of just 34. It’s a glassy lake, not a wave. The rest of the days are mostly onshore or cross-shore, with no real energy.

The last few days, from August 9th to 12th, the swell is all but gone, with heights dropping to 1.0ft and energy falling to single digits. A long, quiet end to the outlook.

So, the bottom line: there’s nothing to pick as a standout. The best window is technically the 4ft swell on August 3rd, but it’s ruined by the wind. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the cleanest water will be the glassy morning on August 5th, but you’ll be floating more than surfing. This is one of those stretches where the ocean is taking a nap.

Rusty, signing off.

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