Surf Forecasts:
Holden Beach surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, SW swell with 136 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period with SSE 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 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Holden Beach in the next 16 days are 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 11AM. 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 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Holden Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, Rusty here again. Let’s get down to it. For Holden Beach, this 16-day forecast is dry. The Finder is showing zero recommendations across the whole period. It’s mostly flat or blown out, so don’t get your hopes up.
From Friday 24 July through the first week, there’s nothing usable. We’re talking tiny 0.5ft to 2ft SE windswells, with a short period around 8 seconds. The winds are mostly cross-on or onshore from the SW or SSE, so it’s choppy and messy. The combined energy is weak, mostly in the 30 to 50 range (weak energy). The water temp is a warm 85°, a touch warmer than usual, but that doesn’t help the waves. Saturday morning (25 July) is a little less choppy with a cross-shore wind, but still only about 2ft – not worth paddling out for.
We get a pulse mid-week, on Wednesday 29 July. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the SW, with combined energy at 299 (moderate wave energy). But the wind is 15 mph cross-on from the WSW, making it moderate cross-onshore and choppy. For a beach break like Holden, that’s a mess. This setup is more interesting for the kite crowd than for surfers.
The best window is Thursday 30 July morning. The wind turns light WNW, cross-off at 6 mph, making things clean. The swell is 3ft from the S at 7 seconds, combined energy 115 (moderate). The guide calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions”. It’s waist-high and clean, but the break is inconsistent and exposed. If you’re keen, that’s your shot, but don’t expect much.
After that, it’s back to flat and onshore junk from 31 July through 8 August. Swell drops to 1ft to 3ft, short period (4-7 seconds). Combined energy falls to single and double digits – 9 to 75 – all weak. Winds stay onshore or cross-on from the S or SE. No standout days.
Bottom line: this is a classic quiet spell for the area. If you’ve got a kite, the 4ft day on the 29th might get you out, but for a real surf, you’re better off waiting. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a bust.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 43mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 30°C on Fri afternoon, min 21°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 31°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 5 | SW 5 | SSW 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 32 | 40 | 36 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 23 | 24 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 45 | 56 | 136 | 46 | 52 | 87 | 63 | 20 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:43PM1.37m | 4:43AM1.08m | 5:31PM1.41m | 5:31AM1.11m | 6:16PM1.45m | 6:18AM1.14m | 6:58PM1.49m | 7:02AM1.19m | 7:38PM1.52m | 7:45AM1.23m | 8:16PM1.54m | 8:27AM1.28m | 8:54PM1.54m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:14AM0.33m | 11:23PM0.48m | 11:03AM0.31m | 00:09AM0.44m | 11:49AM0.28m | 00:50AM0.41m | 12:32PM0.25m | 1:29AM0.37m | 1:13PM0.23m | 2:06AM0.34m | 1:53PM0.22m | 2:42AM0.31m | 2:32PM0.22m | 3:16AM0.29m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 13 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 18 | — | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 29 | 30 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 34 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | S 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 6 |
| kJ | 32 | 40 | 36 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 23 | 24 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 32 | 121 | 45 | 36 | 87 | 63 | 20 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 4 | E 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | ENE 5 | S 5 | SE 8 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 52 | 28 | 29 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 5 | — | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 7 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | S 4 | S 4 | SW 4 | S 4 | N 2 | NE 3 | S 5 | — | — | S 5 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SW 5 | SW 6 | — | NNE 2 | ENE 4 | E 3 | SE 4 |
| kJ | 9 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | — | 13 | 15 | 16 | 45 | 56 | 136 | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 273 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 9 | 82 | 580 | 308 | 552 | 951 | 983 | 660 | 514 | 377 | 332 | 323 | 30 | 0 | 129 | 82 |
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