Swell
0.3ft @ 10s
from ESE (112°)
Wind waves 2.0 ft @ 7 s
Topsail Beach, NC · now
1.9
1.3 ft, ankle to knee, 7-second period, wind glassy.
- Small: longboard or foamie day
- Short-period wind swell, so expect weak, crumbly waves
Wind
2kt g4
from NW (310°)
Glassy · overcast clouds
Tide
1.5ft rising
- High 6:58 AM 5.3 ft
- Low 1:09 PM 0.1 ft
Water
76°F
Boardshorts or bikini
Air 64°F
Swell chart
Now
Loading swell chart…
Forecast
Tap a time to see it on the chart.
| Today Best 8a · 1.8 Poor | Tomorrow Best 8a · 2.0 Fair | Sunday Best 10a · 2.5 Fair | Monday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rating | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| Surf ft | 1.37s | 1.27s | 1.27s | 1.26s | 1.16s | 1.16s | 1.26s | 1.35s | 1.63s | 1.83s | 2.34s | 2.85s | 3.46s | 3.66s | 3.76s | 3.86s | 3.56s | 3.16s | 3.06s | 2.96s | 3.04s | 3.04s | 3.04s | 2.84s | 2.65s | 2.65s | 2.25s | 1.95s | 1.75s | 1.65s | 1.45s | 1.35s |
| Wind kt | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 11g19 | 14g24 | 15g26 | 13g24 | 18g28 | 21g34 | 18g31 | 14g27 | 11g25 | 6 | 11g24 | 10g23 | 9g19 | 10 | 10g22 | 8g21 | 6g19 | 5g18 | 6g19 | 7g16 | 9 | 8 | 5g13 | 3 |
| Tide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Open-Meteo wave and wind models, corrected toward the live buoy for the first 24 hours. Best times count daylight only.
Locals only · Topsail Beach, NC
Surf reports and photos from local surfers. to read and post.
How the rating works
Size
Breaking wave height estimated from the buoy's swell and wind-wave readings, adjusted for period and for how directly the swell hits this beach. Topsail Beach is ideal from 3 to 10 ft.
Quality
Wave period. Long-period groundswell (11+ seconds) makes powerful, organized waves. Short-period wind swell (under 7 seconds) is weak and crumbly.
Wind
Judged against the direction this beach faces (135°). Offshore and light winds clean the waves up; onshore wind and gusts add chop.
Tide
A small bonus when the tide sits in this spot's preferred range (mid), and a small penalty at the extremes.
The overall score blends all three, but size and wind act as limits: a flat day or a blown-out day can't score well, however good the rest looks.