Oak Island
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Mon 9 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 244, poor
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 454, fair
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 636, poor
- Sat 744, too small
- Sun 833, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Oak Island does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, poor | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 19°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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:48 +0.6 mLow 07:00 −0.6 mHigh 13:19 +0.8 mLow 19:50 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:56 +0.7 mLow 08:11 −0.6 mHigh 14:23 +0.8 mLow 20:48 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:59 +0.8 mLow 09:16 −0.7 mHigh 15:22 +0.8 mLow 21:42 −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
No month stands out
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
- Feb1of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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 and its town
Oak Island 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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More surf near here
3 places
- Long Beach Chill Spot 7.1 km away
- Bald Head Island- Point 12.1 km away
- Holden Beach 17.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Oak Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 3.6 km out (1 in 357). 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). The town to stay in is Oak Island, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,970 each
about US$1,110–US$1,970 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 ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$335 |
| 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$1,970 |
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
about 5 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Oak Island its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bald Head Island on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Holden Beach on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 20 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 20m
About 5h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ILM, direct, then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → ILM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.