Holden Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s talk about Holden Beach. Truth is, the next 16 days are a tough stretch. We’re looking at a bunch of weak, short-period windswell with mostly poor conditions. No real standout days to get stoked about. The pattern is all small, messy surf with a lot of cross-onshore or onshore winds.

The first chance to get wet is Thursday, July 23rd, but it’s slim. The swell is a tiny 3ft from the SSW at a weak 5 seconds, with combined energy at just 70 – that’s weak. The wind is a cross-on SW breeze at 12 mph, making it choppy and messy. Water temperature is 85°, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year.

Friday the 24th is even smaller. Morning swell drops to 2ft from the SE, still a weak 8-second period, and the wind is cross-on. The energy is pitiful at 53. Saturday and Sunday are more of the same – tiny, weak swell with light winds but no real push. Sunday the 26th morning does offer a brief moment of clean conditions with a light NNE cross-offshore breeze at 6 mph, but the swell is a measly 2ft, so it’s barely worth paddling out.

We hit a real flat spot from Monday the 27th through Wednesday the 30th. Swell heights drop to 1ft or 2ft, with energy sinking into the 20s and 30s. There’s just nothing to work with, even if some mornings are clean.

The pattern picks up slightly on Tuesday the 28th of July, with the swell bumping back to 3ft in the morning, but it’s from the SSW at a short 5 seconds, and the wind is cross-on. The afternoon jumps to 5ft with energy at 143 – moderate energy – but again, it’s a short-period, onshore mess. Not good.

The only real pulse of size comes on Sunday, August 2nd. We get a 4ft south swell in the morning, climbing to 7ft by the afternoon with a 7-second period and combined energy hitting 439 – that’s strong wave energy. But here’s the problem: the wind is due south and onshore, making it a choppy, blown-out mess. For a beach break like Holden Beach, that’s a pass. This swell is too big for beginners at 7ft, and with short period and onshore wind, it’s a tough one for experts too.

Monday the 3rd of August keeps the size at 6ft from the SSW, but again, the wind is cross-on or onshore and the period is short. The energy is strong at 328, but the quality is poor. After that, the last few days of the outlook taper off back to tiny, weak windswell.

So, what’s the best on offer? Honestly, there’s no true standout. If I had to pick, the cleanest conditions are that Sunday the 26th of July morning with the light offshore wind, but the swell is laughably small. The biggest swell is Sunday the 2nd of August, but it’s ugly. The whole period is a write-off for quality surf. With the inconsistent nature of Holden Beach, this kind of blank run isn’t unusual. It’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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