Surf Forecasts:
Holden Beach surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, ESE swell with 191 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period with ESE 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 (Sep 09) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. 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 1.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Holden Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Imperial
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. Looking at the 16-day window for Holden Beach, it's a tough one. The first real sniff of something surfable doesn't show up until Friday the 11th, and even then, it's a case of making the most of a quiet spell. Before that, we've got a solid run of days with nothing worth paddling out for.
The long-range picture for Holden Beach is a grim one for the next week and a half. We're looking at a gap of about six days from the start of the period with absolutely nothing to recommend. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 84°.
The first flicker of life shows up on Friday morning, September 11th. It's not pretty, but it's something. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the SW, with a short period of 5 seconds. The energy is weak (62). The reason to even mention it is the wind. It's glassy. Dead flat, no wind. That's a rare treat here. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," and that's the truth. It's a chance to get wet, but don't expect any power.
We get a tiny spike in energy on the afternoon of Sunday the 13th, with a 5ft swell from the East (272 energy). That's the biggest we'll see, but the wind is cross-shore from the E at 9 mph, creating a bit of chop. It's still a far cry from good.
Honestly, the entire 16-day window is a struggle. The best bet, and I'm using that word loosely, is that glassy Friday morning. If you're desperate for a paddle and a few knee-high lumps, that's your window. The rest is a write-off for a proper surf. The setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers than for paddle surfing on the bigger, windier days.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 74mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Sat afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 4 | SSW 5 | SE 8 | S 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSW 4 | SW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 151 | 180 | 139 | 88 | 54 | 43 | 32 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 10 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:00PM1.53m | 3:14AM1.21m | 4:04PM1.56m | 4:19AM1.26m | 5:04PM1.60m | 5:20AM1.34m | 5:59PM1.62m | 6:17AM1.42m | 6:50PM1.63m | 7:10AM1.50m | 7:37PM1.60m | 7:59AM1.55m | 8:22PM1.56m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:34PM0.38m | 9:28AM0.20m | 10:39PM0.33m | 10:36AM0.16m | 11:35PM0.27m | 11:37AM0.12m | 00:25AM0.20m | 12:32PM0.08m | 1:10AM0.15m | 1:24PM0.07m | 1:53AM0.11m | 2:13PM0.09m | 2:34AM0.10m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — |
mm | — | 55 | — | — | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
Temp °C | 31 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
Feels °C | 33 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 33 | 33 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SSW 5 | SSE 5 | S 6 | S 5 | S 5 | SE 9 | — | — | — | — | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 |
| kJ | 9 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 54 | 43 | 32 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 23 | 25 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 8 | SSW 4 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 5 | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 9 |
| kJ | — | 9 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | — | SSE 8 | SE 8 | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | 9 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 7 | 11 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | NW 2 | — | ESE 3 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 4 | SW 5 | — | ENE 5 |
| kJ | 13 | 1 | — | 1 | 36 | 103 | 108 | 151 | 180 | 139 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 23 | — | 102 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2034 | 82 | 827 | 827 | 325 | 436 | 793 | 552 | 514 | 2516 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 501 | 501 | 754 | 377 | 0 | 82 | 328 |
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