Hatteras Light House Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for Hatteras.

Well, the next week and a bit is pretty grim, I gotta be honest. We're staring down the barrel of a long stretch of small, weak, and messy surf. Almost all the daily reports are calling it "poor surf conditions" with scores of zero. From Wednesday the 29th of July all the way through to Friday the 7th of August, the energy is just not there. The combined swell energy is mostly in the 30 to 80 range, which is very weak. The swell heights are tiny, mostly under 3 feet, and with short periods around 5 to 8 seconds, it's just not going to have any punch. The winds are all over the place, too – cross-shore, cross-on, light breezes, moderate breezes. It's a lot of chop and wind ripples, not the clean lines we want. There’s a brief moment on Sunday the 2nd where we get a bit of cross-off wind and a slightly bigger 4ft, but it's still only a 6-second period and the energy is still weak at 82. It's a poor run, plain and simple.

Then, you wait for it, the light at the end of the tunnel. The real standout, and the only time I'd get excited, is Saturday the 8th of August. We get a sudden jump in conditions. The morning shows a clean 5ft swell from the Southeast with a nice 11-second period. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW. The combined energy jumps to 597 (moderate wave energy). The forecast says "expect very good surf conditions." That is the session to point for. Hatteras Light House will be clean and offering some proper waves.

Sunday the 9th of August morning looks even bigger, with a solid 7ft groundswell from the SE and a 12-second period. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 9 mph and the energy is a very strong 1152. This is "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers" according to the forecast. But remember, this is over 5ft, so it's getting too big for beginners, and at over 8ft it's for experts only. Because it's a long-period groundswell at a beach break, it might be a bit straight and fast, but with offshore wind, it'll still be a hell of a lot of fun for those who can handle it. The afternoon on Sunday gets messy with a cross-shore wind and a risk of thunderstorms, so the morning is the clear winner.

The following week (Monday 10th to Thursday 13th) sees the swell drop back down, with onshore and cross-shore winds ruining the shape. It's just a slow fade back to small, weak surf.

So, to sum it up: Don't even bother paddling out until the 8th of August. That Saturday morning is the best on offer – clean, head-high, and with some real energy. Sunday morning is for the experts only, but it's a powerful one. The rest is a write-off for now.

Rusty, signing off.

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