Chicahauk Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for the Outer Banks, no point sugar-coating it. We’ve got a long stretch of weak, messy conditions before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

Right now, the first surfable waves are on Saturday morning, August 8th, at Chicahauk. It’s a sandbar break, fairly consistent. We’re looking at small 2ft swell pushing in from the ESE with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak (50), so there’s not much punch. The water’s warm at 82°, about 2° above normal, so it’s a touch warmer than average for this time of year. The morning has a moderate WSW offshore breeze at 12 mph, keeping things clean. But honestly, the waves are tiny and very ordinary.

Through the rest of the weekend and into the first few days of the next week, it’s a real struggle. Sunday morning drops to 2ft with a WSW offshore, but the energy is almost nothing. By Sunday afternoon, the wind swings S and picks up to 19 mph, making a mess. Monday and Tuesday see even smaller surf, down to 0.7ft or 1ft, with poor conditions. Wednesday and Thursday aren’t much better. There’s a solid 5-day gap here where the surf is just not worth the drive.

We do get a brief moment on Friday morning, August 14th, with a 2ft SSW swell, but the energy is still low (30) and it’s just not enough to get excited about. The wind is offshore at 12 mph, so it’s clean, but the waves are tiny.

The real kicker is the second week. There’s a long stretch of poor surf, with onshore winds and choppy conditions from the 15th through the 18th. The swells are small and mostly from the ESE, with weak energy. The combined energy on the 17th afternoon hits 142 (moderate) but the waves are only 2ft and the wind is onshore, so it’s blown out.

Now, finally, the standout. It’s a long way off, but mark Friday morning, August 21st. Chicahauk is looking at 6ft swell from the ENE with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is strong (564). The wind is glassy, just a light SSE air at 3 mph. That’s the kind of clean, punchy surf that makes the whole dry spell worth it. It’s a solid size for intermediates, but with that much energy and a 6ft wave, it could get a bit much for beginners. The crowd profile here is “sometimes,” so expect a few heads out, but nothing insane.

Saturday morning, August 22nd, follows up with a 3ft ENE swell, clean offshore wind from the SW at 6 mph, and moderate energy (203). It’s a good option if you miss the Friday peak, but the Friday morning is the real winner.

After that, it drops off again into the 23rd with strong onshore winds and small, lumpy surf.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a write-off with tiny, weak waves. The only real window is Friday morning, August 21st, with glassy conditions and a solid 6ft groundswell. That’s your best bet. The rest is just waiting.

Rusty.

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