World › United States of America › North Carolina › Holden Beach

Holden Beach 48.0

#4588 of 5753 surf spots in the world · 🇺🇸 United States of America · North Carolina · near Wilmington

Very consistent, wind is the enemy here, no off season.

Works all yearBeginner friendlyBeginner
Surf score48.0 /100
Surfable days75% of the year
Clean days1% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell1% period 11 s+
Typical size0.8 m 2.5 ft median
Water20°C a 2 mm shorty

Best time to surf Holden Beach

The best time to surf Holden Beach is September, October, December. It rarely works. In September the water sits around 26°C, so pack boardshorts, and the typical wave is 0.7 m. The nearest airport is ILM (55 km) and the nearest town is Wilmington (50 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan77%0%0.8 m11°C5/4
Feb83%0%0.9 m9°C6/5
Mar81%0%0.9 m14°C4/3
Apr79%0%0.9 m19°C3/2
May81%0%0.8 m23°Cvest
Jun75%0%0.7 m26°Cboardies
Jul76%0%0.8 m29°Cboardies
Aug63%0%0.7 m28°Cboardies
Sep73%6%0.7 m26°Cboardies
Oct63%1%0.7 m22°C2mm
Nov79%0%0.8 m17°C3/2
Dec73%1%0.8 m13°C5/4

Why 48.0

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and weighted; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world is 100.

Consistency 26%
22.7
Clean days 24%
0.0
Groundswell 12%
0.0
Season spread 10%
10.0
Wave size 8%
1.1
Water comfort 10%
4.8
Access 10%
8.2

The detail

Faces 175° with 44% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 73% of days. Mean peak period 6.4 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 81%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates 33.908, -78.322 (OpenStreetMap).

Spots nearby

Ocean Isle🇺🇸 United States of America · score 48.0Sunset Beach🇺🇸 United States of America · score 48.4Bird Island🇺🇸 United States of America · score 48.4Cherry Grove Pier🇺🇸 United States of America · score 48.6
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