Jennette's Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s comin’ down the line for the Outer Banks.

First off, I gotta be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are gonna be a real mixed bag, and for the most part, it’s a pretty quiet stretch. The forecast is lean on proper swell, and the wind’s playing tricks on us most days. There’s a glimmer of something a bit more interesting in the second week, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The water is running real warm, about 83°F, which is way above normal for this time of year – feels like a bath, but hey, it’s comfortable for a long session.

We start off with a bit of a dud. Monday, September 7th, through the next several days, it’s a whole lot of nothing. The swell is small, mostly under 3 ft, and the wind is a messy cross-onshore from the ENE. The combined wave energy is weak, barely cracking 50 to 100 (56 on Monday morning, 126 on Tuesday morning). It’s just lumpy, choppy, and not worth paddling out for. That clean-up on Tuesday afternoon with the wind going onshore gives us a tiny 2 ft wave, but it’s still a no-go. This flat spell runs right through to the weekend of September 13th. There’s a tiny bit of energy on the 13th, with a 2 ft swell from the ESE, but the wind is directly onshore again, killing any chance of shape. It’s a long, drawn-out wait.

Now, for the one true standout in this whole outlook. Mark your calendars for the morning of Tuesday, September 15th. Jennette’s Pier is where you want to be. We’re looking at a solid 7 ft swell, coming from the NNE. The combined energy jumps to a strong 366 – that’s the real deal. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the SW at 9 mph, which will keep the faces tidy and the walls clean. This is a proper, powerful, short-period swell that’ll be firing right on the pier. Definitely not for beginners at that size, but for the intermediate crew, this is the best window of the whole 16-day run. The crowds are possible, so get there early.

After that peak, it fades quickly. Wednesday morning, September 16th, sees a drop to 4 ft from the NE, but the wind goes glassy from the WNW. It’ll be a small, clean, and funky little session for the logs, with low energy at 117. But by the afternoon, the wind howls back to a fresh 22 mph from the north, ruining it.

The rest of the second week into the 22nd is a write-off. The swell is tiny, the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the energy is weak. It’s a classic late-summer slump on the Outer Banks.

So, to sum it up: you’ve got a long flat spell, then one proper morning of solid, clean swell on the 15th. That’s your window. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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