Hatteras Light House Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what the next sixteen days are shaping up like for the Lighthouse area.

Honestly, for the bulk of the forecast period, things are looking pretty bleak. The energy just isn't there, and we're staring down a long, drawn-out stretch of tiny, wind-affected conditions. There’s a big gap where there's really nothing to get excited about at all.

Things kick off on Wednesday morning, July 8th, but it's a real struggle. We’ve got a tiny 1ft swell from the SE, and while the wind is a light cross-off from the NNW, the overall wave energy is weak at 57. The water is warm at 82°, running about average for this time of year. It’s surfable but very ordinary, and that’s the best we’re going to see for a long while.

From Wednesday afternoon all the way through the end of July, it’s just a desert of poor conditions. Small swells, mostly from the SE and S, never getting over 3ft, and when they do show a little height the wind is howling. The wind is predominantly cross-off or stronger, but the swell is just too small and weak to do anything with it. The combined energy readings are mostly in the two-digit range, just confirming how weak it is. The 10th of July has a window with an offshore wind, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft.

Now, towards the very end of the window, we finally see a pulse of life. On Saturday morning, July 18th, a distinct S swell pushes in at 5ft with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 207, which is a moderate punch, and the wind is a light cross-off from the SSW. This is the standout of the whole sixteen days. The swell direction from the S aligns well with what this break wants. It’s not huge, so it stays manageable for the more confident beginners, but it’s a proper bump of energy after so much nothing.

The afternoon of the 18th sees the swell touch 5ft, but a fresh 19 mph cross-off wind will make it bumpy and hard to manage. The morning session is the one to target.

All in all, save your energy for that Saturday morning, the 18th. The next two weeks are otherwise a write-off for the Outer Banks. It's been a tough run. The rest of the week looks better for the kite surfers than for us.

Rusty.

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