Hatteras Light House Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Hatteras Light House has got cookin’ for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. We’re lookin’ at a whole lot of quiet days and onshore slop before we finally catch a faint glimmer of hope. The water temp is runnin’ a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sittin’ around 83°, which is fine for summer boardshorts.

Right now, and for the better part of the first week, it’s pretty flat and sad. From Wednesday the 15th all the way through Saturday the 19th, we’re starin’ at tiny, weak waves. The swell is barely 1ft to 1ft, and while the wind is sometimes light or cross-off, the energy just ain’t there. The combined energy is readin’ between 15 and 33, which is weak. On the 19th, the swell bumps up to 6ft, but that’s comin’ with a risk of thunderstorms and howlin’ 22 to 28 mph winds. That’s a mess, not a surf.

We finally get a little window come Monday morning, July 20th. It’s nothin’ to write home about, but it’s the best we’ve got. We’re lookin’ at 4ft of swell from the south with a short 8-second period. The magic here is the wind – it’s swingin’ to the west and goin’ offshore, so we should get some clean, lined-up little peaks. The combined energy is moderate at 144. It’s surfable, but ordinary. The afternoon kicks back onshore and gets choppy again, so make the most of that morning session.

After that, it’s another long, bleak run. From the afternoon of the 20th right through to the 24th of July, it’s mostly messy cross-onshore wind, dropping swell, and poor conditions. Winds get nasty, gustin’ 25 to 31 mph on Tuesday the 21st, and the waves that are there are just blown out. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing those days.

There’s a brief, tiny reprieve on Friday morning, July 24th. Swell is only 2ft from the southeast, but the wind is light out of the NNW, giving us a clean, cross-off glassy surface. Combined energy is 70, so it’s weak, but if you’re desperate, it’s a chance for a longboard.

Then we’re back into a long stretch of messy, onshore junk from the 25th all the way to the end of the period on the 30th. There’s a pulse of 5ft swell on Sunday the 26th, but it’s hammered by 19 mph cross-on winds, makin’ it lumpy and ugly. The last few days are a mix of choppy cross-onshore and sloppy conditions.

Bottom line: This isn’t a classic Hatteras run. The one standout is Monday morning, July 20th. It ain’t big, but that offshore wind and clean surface is your best bet. After that, it’s a long wait with nothin’ to get excited about. Hang tough.

Rusty.

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