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Carolina Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
46Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 117, poor
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 328, poor
- Wed 435, poor
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 658, fair
- Sat 742, too small
- Sun 824, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Sep1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 17, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 15 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 21 knots, offshore | 14°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:46 −0.6 mHigh 12:10 +0.8 mLow 18:47 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:43 +0.5 mLow 06:58 −0.6 mHigh 13:15 +0.8 mLow 19:49 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:52 +0.6 mLow 08:08 −0.6 mHigh 14:19 +0.7 mLow 20:46 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Carolina Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Carolina Beach
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Live webcam
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Live webcam
Carolina Beach
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More surf near here
5 places
- Beauregard 1 km away
- Shit Pipe 2.6 km away
- Fort Fisher 5.3 km away
- Sand Stone 7.2 km away
- The Cove 7.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Carolina Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (111°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (291°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 128). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 11°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carolina Beach, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,010–US$1,820 each
about US$1,010–US$1,820 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$100 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,010–US$1,820 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
1 min by car · 62 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Carolina Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Kure Beach on Booking.com
8 min by car · 31 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 5h
About 5h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ILM, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → ILM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.