Holden Beach
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 139, too small
- Mon 250, fair
- Tue 349, fair
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 725, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 917, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 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.
Holden Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 12°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 05:49 −0.7 mHigh 12:14 +0.9 mLow 18:47 −0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:49 +0.6 mLow 07:00 −0.7 mHigh 13:19 +0.8 mLow 19:49 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:56 +0.7 mLow 08:10 −0.7 mHigh 14:23 +0.8 mLow 20:47 −0.7 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
Holden Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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 Holden Beach
More surf near here
4 places
- Long Beach Chill Spot 10.7 km away
- Ocean Isle 12.7 km away
- Oak Island 17.7 km away
- Sunset Beach 19 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Holden Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (176°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (356°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.7 km out (1 in 167). 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 29°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 Holden Beach, 0 km away (about 5 min by car).
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$1,110–US$1,960 each
about US$1,110–US$1,960 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 MDW to MYR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$328 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,110–US$1,960 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
1 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Holden Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ocean Isle Beach on Booking.com
20 min by car · 26 places to stay
- Beds in Oak Island on Booking.com
31 min by car · 23 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 25m
About 5h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MYR, direct, then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → MYR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.