Hatteras Light House Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I've got the lowdown on what's coming our way for the next couple of weeks at Hatteras Light House.

Alright, let's be straight with you. The next 16 days are looking like a bit of a write-off for quality surf at Hatteras Light House. The whole period is plagued by poor conditions, mostly from cross-onshore winds and stormy weather making things lumpy, choppy, and messy. There are a couple of brief windows where the wind eases off and cleans things up, but the swell on offer is tiny, so we're talking about a real marginal session at best. If you're a beginner wanting to splash about on a foamie, there might be a couple of moments, but for anyone looking for a proper wave, this is a tough stretch.

Starting off, Tuesday the 15th is a no-go. We've got a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore wind with a weak 4 ft swell from the ENE, period is a short 7 seconds. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 82°, but with the combined wave energy sitting at just 120, it's weak and the conditions are poor.

Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are much the same story. Swell drops to 3 ft and then 2 ft, with light to moderate cross-onshore winds. The energy is pitiful, dropping to 48 on Thursday morning. It's just not worth getting wet.

Now, Friday the 18th is the one brief glimmer of light. We get a clean, offshore wind out of the SW at 9 mph. The swell is still tiny, only 2 ft from the E with a 7-second period, and the energy is a low 50. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," which is about right. If you've got a longboard and low expectations, it could be a fun, clean little session, but it's nothing to get excited about.

Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th see the wind swing back onshore, and while the swell bumps up a bit to 4 ft on Sunday, it's with a risk of thunderstorms and moderate cross-onshore winds. The energy climbs to 168, but the quality is shot.

Monday the 21st offers another small window. A gentle offshore wind from the WNW at 9 mph cleans things up. The swell is still tiny at 2 ft from the SE with a 9-second period, giving a weak 84 energy. Again, it's clean but very small.

From there, we slide into a long, poor run. From Tuesday the 22nd right through to the end of the month, it's a constant battle with windy, messy, and choppy conditions. The swell does pulse up a couple of times, like on Friday the 25th with a 6 ft ENE swell and Saturday the 26th with 4 ft E swell, but the wind is brutal. Friday the 25th afternoon has a near gale cross-shore wind at 31 mph ramping the energy up to 326, but it's just a howling mess. Saturday the 26th has clean cross-offshore winds from the SW, but with a strong breeze and the swell only 4 ft, the energy is still high at 278, suggesting a lot of power but not much quality. This kind of exposed, windy setup with significant swell and poor quality is honestly more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

And right at the end, on Wednesday the 30th, we see a 6 ft swell from the ENE with a short 7-second period and a near gale cross-shore wind. The energy spikes to 404, but the wave comment is still "poor surf conditions." It's a powerful, messy, and dangerous-looking ocean.

With so few consistent, quality options, this is one of those blank runs that's more normal for the area when the wind patterns lock in. The best on offer is definitely Friday the 18th morning for a clean, grovelly session, or possibly Monday the 21st morning for the same. Beyond that, it's a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d be keeping the board in the car and the wax in the wrapper.

Rusty.

Read more