Jennette's Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me level with you. I’ve looked over the Outer Banks stretch around Jennette’s Pier, and to be honest, the next 16 days are a real struggle for us. The surf is just not cooperating. The models are showing a long, flat spell with hardly any energy to get excited about. We’re looking at a pretty blank run here, which isn't unheard of for this area, but it stings when you’re itching for a session.

The first two weeks are a tough slog. From Friday the 21st of August all the way through to the end of the month, the swell is tiny. We’re talking knee-high dribbles, mostly around 1ft to 1ft. The combined energy is weak, often in the teens or twenties, barely a whisper. The wind does offer some clean windows, like Saturday the 22nd afternoon with a light offshore breeze from the west, and Monday the 24th morning is glassy with a light NE wind, but with that little swell, it's just a flat, clean lake. Not worth paddling out for. A few days have a bit of cross-off or glass, but the wave size is just not there.

Even into the first week of September, the situation doesn't really improve. The first few days of September see a slight bump in combined energy, hitting 108 on the 1st of September Tuesday afternoon, but the swell height is still only 1ft. That’s weak-to-moderate energy at best, but it's still too small to do anything with.

The one tiny glimmer, and I mean a *glimmer*, comes on the 31st of August Monday morning. The period jumps to a very long 17 seconds from the ESE, and the combined energy is 64. But the swell height is still only 0.7ft. That’s a groundswell with zero size. It's a tease. A long period like that would be better at a point or reef, but Jennette’s is a beach/jetty setup, so it would just break straight and close out if there was any size. There isn’t.

For the rest of the run, it’s the same story. The biggest swell we see is 2ft on the 29th of August and 2nd of September, but the wind is onshore or cross-on, making it choppy and messy. Honestly, for a beach-and-jetty setup with this kind of weak, onshore wind, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, the hard truth is there are no standouts, no days to circle on your calendar. We’ve got over a week of flatness from the start, and the second week offers nothing better. It’s a waiting game, but forecasts can change, and it doesn't stay poor forever. Keep an eye on it, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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