TrueSwell

US surf, every coast · our own verified model · live cams

Sunset Beach Surf Forecast

North Carolina, NC · The last NC beach before the state line - mellow south-facing peaks.

▶ Watch the Sunset Beach surf cam Surf cam · stream by SurfChex

Loading the live forecast…

Sunset Beach Spot Guide

Best swell

S
window ESE–WSW (110°–255°)

Ideal size

1–6 ft
breaking-wave face height

Best wind

N
offshore · S is onshore

Verified against

Buoy 41013
live NOAA readings · our error

The wave

BreakMellow south-facing beachbreak
BottomSand
WavesThe state's gentlest regular surf
AbilityYes — arguably the best pure beginner beach in North Carolina.
Best tideMid
CrowdMinimal
HazardsInlet currents at either end of the short island
AccessPublic accesses over the dunes from Main Street; paid lots in season

Local knowledge

The last beach before South Carolina is a small, quiet island whose south-facing bars roll rather than pitch — a longboard-and-learner wave by temperament. When a real S swell arrives it surprises people; the rest of the time it's the softest surf on the coast, cam-checked from the pier.

Live cams

Sunset Beach (SurfChex)

Nearby spots

FAQ

What swell direction works best at Sunset Beach?

S swell hits Sunset Beach straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from ESE (110°) through WSW (255°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.

What wind is best at Sunset Beach?

N wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. S wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.

When is the best time of year to surf Sunset Beach?

Late summer through fall is prime: hurricane season (August-October) sends the year's best long-period swell, and fall-winter nor'easters keep it pumping. Summer runs smallest outside of tropical systems.

What's the best tide at Sunset Beach?

Mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.

Is Sunset Beach good for beginners?

Yes — arguably the best pure beginner beach in North Carolina.

How warm is the water at Sunset Beach?

Roughly 47°F at its late-winter coldest to about 82°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 4/3 or 5/4 in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.

How far out is this forecast reliable?

The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.

Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →