Chicahauk Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checkin' in from right here in the Outer Banks.

Honestly, this is one of those stretches where Mother Nature just isn't cooperating. We’ve got a long gap of tiny, weak surf ahead. The first couple of weeks look pretty flat and messy, so don’t get your hopes up for a proper session until we get deep into the second week. For the first eight days, from Thursday the 13th right through to Thursday the 20th, it’s a whole lot of nothing. We're looking at wave heights barely kissing 0.7ft to 2ft, most of it coming from the ESE with a short, weak period of 8 to 9 seconds. The combined swell energy is pitiful, barely hitting double digits (10 to 34), and the wind is all over the place. You might see a little glassy moment Thursday afternoon (13th) and again Thursday morning (20th), but there's just no push in the water to make it worth paddling out at Chicahauk. With the water temperature running about 82°F, that's a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that's about the only bright spot.

We finally see a tiny blip on Friday morning the 21st. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the NNE, but with a period of only 5 seconds, that’s pure wind chop. The combined energy is still weak (72). The glassy conditions with a light WNW wind are nice, but this is more of a skimboard morning than a surf session. It’s surfable, but just barely.

The real tease comes at the very end of the outlook, on Friday the 28th of August. That morning we get a pulse of swell pushing 6ft from the NE, with 429 of combined energy – that’s moderate energy, finally something with a bit of grunt. But here's the kicker: the period is a short 8 seconds, and the wind is hammering onshore from the East at 19 mph. That’s going to be a choppy, blown-out mess. By the afternoon, it’s a touch bigger at 7ft, but the wind is still onshore. This is a classic case of a setup that looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. For a paddler, that size (over 5ft) is getting into the big range for a sandbar setup, and with those conditions, it's really only for the experts who don't mind a beating.

So, the only standout to even mention is Chicahauk on Friday the 28th of August. It’s got the size (6ft to 7ft from the NE) and the energy (429 to 462), but the wind is going to wreck it. It’s a promise of something better, but the forecast is a long way out, so take it with a grain of salt. For now, keep your board in the car, but don't bother waxing it up just yet.

Rusty.

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