Chicahauk Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me break down what we’ve got coming up for the next 16 days. Honestly, it’s a pretty bleak stretch for the Outer Banks, so we’re just gonna be honest about it.

The first thing you need to know is that there’s no surf worth paddling out for right now. We’re looking at a long, dry gap from today through to the end of July. The first half of the forecast is all tiny, weak swell with poor conditions. We’re talking about 0.7ft to 2ft of mostly ESE windswell, and the wind is all over the place – cross-on, cross-off, onshore – it’s just a mess. The wave energy is a joke, barely cracking 20 or 30 (17-38) for most of that, so leave your board in the car.

The only glimmer of hope, and I mean a tiny glimmer, comes on Wednesday morning, July 22nd. We’ll see a bump up to 3ft, but it’s blowing a solid 25 mph from the SW. That’s strong offshore wind, which will keep the surface clean, but it’s gonna be a battle to paddle into anything. The energy is still weak (80), so it’s not going to be a good time. The following afternoon on July 22nd, the swell actually jumps to 5ft from the S, with a combined energy of 355, but the wind swings to a cross-off. The waves will be there, but the quality is still rated as poor.

Then we get into the very end of the month and the start of August. Friday, July 31st morning, we finally see a bit of a window. It’s tiny, only 1ft from the ENE, but the wind is offshore from the SW at 12 mph. It’s going to be clean, glassy almost, but there’s next to no power. The same goes for Saturday, August 1st morning, with a 1ft SSE swell and offshore WSW wind. These are the only two sessions in the entire 16-day window that even get a "surfable" rating, but they’re so small you’ll be on a longboard, just bobbing around.

The water is warm, sitting at 81°, which is about normal for this time of year. The best spot on offer is Chicahauk, a sandbar setup that’s fairly consistent. It’s exposed to the east, so it needs a solid easterly push to work. Crowds are a possibility here, but with conditions this poor, you’ll have the place to yourself.

Don’t get your hopes up for the second week. It’s more of the same: small, short-period windswell with crummy wind. There’s a bit more energy around July 28th with a 5ft ENE swell and a cross-shore wind, but it’s still messy and poor. This spot is a beach and sandbar setup, so with the wind and crap quality, it’s gonna look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, the honest truth? There’s nothing to get excited about. We’ve got a 16-day forecast with a massive gap of no decent surf. The only two half-decent moments are the mornings of July 31st and August 1st, but even those are tiny. It’s a tough run for the Banks.

Rusty.

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