
Surf Forecasts:
Jennette's Pier surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, E swell with 238 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Jennette's Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Jennette's Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Jennette's Pier in the next 16 days are 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Jennette's Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let's break this down. We've got a couple of weeks of mostly lackluster surf ahead, so patience is key. Water's sitting at about 80°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the season, so that's a nice little bonus.
Right now, and for the next few days, it's all pretty weak and chopped up. We're looking at ankle to waist-high slop, maybe 3ft, with a short, weak period and hardly any energy – energy readings are down in the 70s and 80s. Winds are mostly cross-onshore, making things messy. Thursday does have a glassy morning, but the swell is tiny, dropping to around 2ft. Clean, but barely breaking. Not worth the effort unless you're just having a splash.
The weekend shows a bit more size – Saturday pushes to around 4ft – but the period is a shocker, only 4-6 seconds, and the wind is up at 15-16 mph onshore. It's going to be lumpy, messy closeouts. Energy climbs into the 100s, but it's all short-period chop. Sunday's similar, a touch bigger, but still onshore and all over the shop.
Monday the 21st is your best bet for a clean one. Early morning has a nice cross-offshore breeze, swell holds at around 3ft, and the period stretches to 8 seconds. It's small, but it's the cleanest surf of the whole run. Energy is weak, down in the 70s, but if you're keen, that's your window. The window closes fast though – the afternoon gets chopped up again.
Tuesday and Wednesday stay small, mostly 3ft, with a couple of glassy moments on Wednesday morning (dead calm). But still, not enough push or power to get excited about. Just ordinary.
Then things ramp up, but not in a good way. From the 29th, the swell starts to build. Tuesday sees 5ft, but it's still short-period and onshore. Then Wednesday the 30th is the big one. The swell jumps to a solid 11-12ft with a 9-10 second period, and the energy goes nuts – we're talking readings in the 2000s. That's strong, powerful stuff. But at Jennette's Pier, this is way too much. It's a beach/jetty setup, and 12ft of cross-onshore swell is going to be a violent mess. It's big, it's powerful, and it's beyond what this break can handle. Only for the most experienced, and even then, it's going to be a battle.
After that, Thursday the 1st of October is still big – 8ft – but the period drops and the wind picks up to 22 mph onshore. That's just blown-out chaos. This is where you'd want to think about kitesurfing. That much swell and wind over a beach/reef setup is not for paddle surfing.
So, the pick of the fortnight is that Monday morning the 21st – clean, cross-off, but small. If you want the big stuff, Wednesday the 30th has the size and power, but it's too big and too messy for this break. It's a spectator day. The rest is either too small, too choppy, or too blown out.
Long-range stuff, like that big swell, is promising in size but less certain in quality. Keep an eye on it, but don't plan your life around it.
Stay salty.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 21°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 12 | ESE 12 | ENE 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
82 | 74 | 41 | 27 | 40 | 32 | 30 | 19 | 24 | 50 | 103 | 238 | 156 | 127 | 63 | 64 | 61 | 45 | 67 | 89 | 142 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:33AM1.18m | 11:49PM0.95m | 12:20PM1.12m | 00:38AM0.90m | 1:13PM1.08m | 1:35AM0.88m | 2:12PM1.06m | 2:38AM0.88m | 3:13PM1.07m | 3:42AM0.92m | 4:09PM1.09m | 4:38AM0.98m | 4:59PM1.13m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:10PM0.29m | 5:53AM0.25m | 7:02PM0.35m | 6:41AM0.31m | 7:59PM0.39m | 7:38AM0.35m | 8:59PM0.40m | 8:41AM0.37m | 9:57PM0.38m | 9:45AM0.36m | 10:47PM0.33m | 10:43AM0.32m | 11:30PM0.27m | ||||||||
6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 6 | 7 | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 26 |
Feels °C | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 12 | E 12 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 |
82 | 74 | 41 | 27 | 40 | 32 | 30 | 19 | 8 | 46 | 10 | 238 | 156 | 127 | 63 | 64 | 61 | 45 | 67 | 89 | 142 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 7 | NE 7 | ESE 8 | — | E 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 15 |
14 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 7 | — | 10 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 20 | 21 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | — | — | — | — | ESE 11 | E 11 | — | NE 7 | N 7 | E 18 | ENE 16 | ENE 15 |
— | — | — | 2 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 24 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 9 | — | 7 | 1 | 24 | 25 | 21 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | ENE 6 | — | — | — | SSW 2 | WSW 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | 103 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1070 | 1070 | 167 | 5 | 828 | 6 | 5 | 73 | 5 | 171 | 1074 | 171 | 65 | 868 | 26 | 0 | 807 | 5 | 6 | 221 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Jennette's Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Jennette's Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Jennette's Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Jennette's Pier surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Jennette's Pier) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Jennette's Pier may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a vacation in North Carolina? If you are looking for accommodation near Jennette's Pier, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Elizabeth City which is 70 km (43 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Cape Hatteras which is 78 km (48 miles) away










