Surf Forecasts:
K.O.A surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, S swell with 85 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for K.O.A this week:
The most powerful waves expected at K.O.A in the next 16 days are 1.1m 6s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for K.O.A over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let me level with you about this stretch. I've looked at the charts for the coming days and honestly, it’s a pretty quiet run for us. The wave energy is gonna be low for a long while, so we're in for a bit of a dry spell before anything remotely worthwhile shows up.
Right now, and for the next two weeks, the surf is pretty much flat to tiny. The combined swell energy is barely registering, often sitting in the weak range (8 to 79). We’ve got a lot of small, short-period swell – mostly around 0.7 ft to 3 ft from the SE and ESE, with periods between 5 and 10 seconds. That’s not going to push any real shape. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, which would normally keep things clean, but there’s just no swell to work with.
There is one small window of possibility, but it’s a long way off. Towards the end of the period, around Monday the 18th of August, we start to see a tiny bump. The morning of the 18th has a 2 ft SE swell with a 9-second period, and combined energy climbs to 73. The wind is a light offshore from the NW, which is a good sign for clean conditions. By the afternoon, it goes glassy with a light NNW breeze. The wave comment finally says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," which is the best we get in this whole forecast. It’s not going to be epic, but if you’re desperate for a paddle and a few small, clean waves at K.O.A. (which is our only break on the cards here), that’s the time. Just know it’s weak and the swell direction from the SE is not the ideal NE for this spot.
For the rest of the run, the water temp is sitting around 80°F, which is about average for this time of year. But honestly, the main story is the lack of swell. We’ve got a massive gap of nothing from the start all the way until that 18th of August. It’s a tough stretch.
Stay patient.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 63mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Tue afternoon). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Mon afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 13 | E 13 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | S 6 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 4 | 65 | 67 | 54 | 37 | 51 | 80 | 31 | 23 | 25 | 44 | 51 | 78 | 73 | 46 | 26 | 23 | 12 | 11 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:28PM0.21m | 2:09AM0.25m | 3:22PM0.22m | 2:46AM0.25m | 4:18PM0.22m | 3:31AM0.25m | 5:16PM0.22m | 4:25AM0.24m | 6:15PM0.23m | 5:31AM0.23m | 7:14PM0.23m | 6:51AM0.22m | 8:14PM0.23m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:01PM0.13m | 9:10AM0.10m | 8:38PM0.14m | 9:36AM0.09m | 9:23PM0.14m | 10:15AM0.09m | 10:12PM0.14m | 11:02AM0.09m | 11:05PM0.15m | 11:57AM0.11m | 00:05AM0.15m | 1:16PM0.12m | 1:21AM0.15m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | | | |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — |
mm | 10 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 2 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
Feels °C | 23 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | S 7 | S 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 6 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 3 | 257 | 110 | 67 | 54 | 120 | 51 | 33 | 31 | 23 | 25 | 44 | 51 | 78 | 73 | 46 | 26 | 23 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 13 | SE 7 | E 12 | N 6 | ESE 7 | NNE 5 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 65 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 14 | — | E 12 | NNE 5 | E 9 | — | E 13 | E 13 | E 11 | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | E 11 | SE 10 |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 7 | — | S 6 | S 7 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 |
| kJ | 393 | 287 | — | 68 | 104 | 135 | 59 | 80 | 40 | 34 | 23 | 17 | 17 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 48 | 32 | 33 | 69 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 334 | 39 | 259 | 99 | 145 | 144 | 690 | 144 | 50 | 1047 | 541 | 334 | 533 | 261 | 50 | 361 | 144 | 492 | 2074 | 144 |
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 K.O.A 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 K.O.A Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for K.O.A provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at K.O.A can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our K.O.A 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 (K.O.A) 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 K.O.A 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 K.O.A, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Cape Hatteras which is 40 km (25 miles) away.
Nearest