Surf Forecasts:
Holden Beach surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period, SSW swell with 153 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Friday (Aug 14) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m and 6s 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 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Fri 14th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Holden Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s coming up for Holden Beach over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the surf is pretty flat and the wind is a mess for the first week and a half. From Friday the 7th of August all the way through to Wednesday the 19th, it’s mostly poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny, barely cracking 3 ft, with a short period of 6 to 8 seconds, and the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, making things choppy and messy. There’s a run of days from the 7th to the 10th where the combined energy is well under 100 (weak), and even when it bumps up a bit around the 16th and 17th to 101 and 107 (moderate), the wind is still cross-on. Honestly, for paddle surfing, it’s a real struggle. If you’re into kite surfing, the setup might be more interesting.
We’ve got a bit of a gap with no real recommendations until the 20th of August. That’s a solid 13 days of mostly poor surf.
Now, the one bright spot, and it’s the only one I’d even bother paddling out for, comes on Thursday the 20th of August. The morning shows some rain showers, but look at that wind – it swings to the NNW at 9 mph, blowing offshore. That’s clean. The swell is coming from the SSW at 3 ft with a 6-second period. The combined energy is 79 (weak), so it’s not a big swell, but with offshore wind, it’ll be clean and rideable. The afternoon shifts to a NW wind, still cross-off, keeping it clean. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, no big anomaly to report.
So, for the whole 16-day window, the standout is Thursday the 20th of August. It’s not a day for big waves, but it’s the only time the wind is right, and the surf will be clean. For a break that’s exposed to the south and inconsistent, you take what you can get. Keep an eye on that morning session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Sat afternoon, min 25°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 34°C on Wed afternoon, min 27°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 5 | SSW 5 | SW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 26 | 36 | 92 | 116 | 86 | 84 | 84 | 37 | 26 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 44 | 88 | 36 | 55 | 120 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 2:19AM1.21m | 3:14PM1.54m | 3:23AM1.21m | 4:17PM1.60m | 4:27AM1.24m | 5:18PM1.66m | 5:29AM1.30m | 6:16PM1.72m | 6:28AM1.37m | 7:09PM1.74m | 7:24AM1.44m | 8:00PM1.74m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:33PM0.42m | 8:30AM0.20m | 9:46PM0.39m | 9:37AM0.16m | 10:52PM0.34m | 10:43AM0.11m | 11:51PM0.27m | 11:44AM0.05m | 00:45AM0.20m | 12:41PM0.01m | 1:34AM0.15m | 1:35PM-0.01m | 2:20AM0.11m | ||||||
 |  | |  | |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 8:08 | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 34 | 30 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 34 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | — | 2 | 92 | 116 | 86 | 84 | 84 | 37 | 26 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 6 | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 10 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | S 11 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | SSE 8 | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 5 | SSW 5 | SW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 26 | 36 | — | — | — | — | 66 | — | 3 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 44 | 88 | 36 | 55 | 120 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 737 | 602 | 2345 | 22 | 30 | 200 | 377 | 274 | 563 | 501 | 501 | 754 | 983 | 552 | 602 | 52 | 284 | 82 | 52 |
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)
Latest Updates
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