Beach Stability

     Holden Beach is exposed to the same threat from severe seasonal weather occurrences such as major storms and hurricanes as is the entire coast of southeastern North Carolina. While these events have occasionally caused major erosion to the beach and serious property damage there is little exposure to damage caused by the consistent exposure to winter storm s that is experienced by the more easterly facing coastline from Bald Head Island northward. Holden Beach, due to its location and orientation is in a low energy, mesotidal ocean environment.
     The eastern end of Holden Beach is separated from the adjacent island of Long Beach island by the Lockwood Folly Inlet, which is relatively stable in location but has exhibited a variance in the channel orientation over time. To view this area, simply take a left on Ocean Beach Boulevard after crossing the Holden Beach high-rise bridge.
     This area experiences consistently high levels of erosion due to low on-shore wave energy and a relatively high tidal range that limits flood tide delta growth resulting in an ebb tide dominated inlet.
     As result there is little or no sediment transport across the mouth of the inlet by the interruption of the natural littoral flow of sediment. This combined with little off shore sediment availability causes severe erosion at the up drift edge of the inlet.