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Carolina Beach, United States

Stay in Carolina Beach: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Carolina Beach

Watch this spot We email you when Carolina Beach is worth the trip.

Smoke from Canadian forest fires over Carolina Beach boardwalk
Carolina Beach. Photo: Sergiy Galyonkin from Raleigh, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Carolina Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces E (111°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (291°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 128). 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). 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 Carolina Beach, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 5 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to ILM, direct.

    See flights ORD → ILM · Skyscanner from about £135 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Carolina Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Carolina BeachAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Carolina Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Carolina Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Carolina Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

Carolina Beach

Open the webcam on surfchex.com

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct214 ft8 smushy136kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct315 ft8 smushy240kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct273 ft8 smushy103kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct303 ft5 smushy36kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct302 ft7 smushy51kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct101 ft8 ssoft22kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct93 ft6 smushy41kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct153 ft6 smushy87kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct394 ft7 smushy133kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct445 ft9 ssoft483kJ20°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to ILM, then 45 min by road. About 5h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Beauregard

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 14 kn (27 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Beauregard

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Beauregard

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 19 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to ILM, then 45 min by road. About 5h door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Carolina Beach each day: Beauregard, Carolina Beach.

The trip from Carolina Beach, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £860–£1,550 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£135–£285
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£45–£75
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£860–£1,550

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Carolina Beach

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.