Surf Forecasts:
Nags Head Pier surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 5s period, S swell with 146 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Nags Head Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Nags Head Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Nags Head Pier in the next 16 days are 1.8m 5s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 5s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nags Head Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – we’ve got a long stretch of flat, quiet water ahead. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until later in the run, so don’t bother waxing up just yet.
The pattern for the next couple of weeks is dominated by tiny, short-period windswell with poor quality. There’s a long gap of nothing happening. The first surf that’s even worth a look doesn’t arrive until Tuesday, July 28th – that’s over a week away. Before that, expect days of zero to ankle-high slop with onshore or cross-shore breezes. The water temp is sitting at about 82°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year (anomaly 1°F), so it’s comfortable for a paddle, but there’s nothing to ride.
Nags Head Pier is our only spot on the menu, and it’s a beach/jetty setup. The swell is exposed to the northeast, which is the optimum direction for this break, but the energy just isn’t there.
The only flicker of life comes on Tuesday, July 28th. The morning shows a weak 3ft easterly swell with a period of 7 seconds, and a combined energy of just 67 – that’s weak. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. The data calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and honestly, that’s about right. This is a beginner-friendly size, but the swell is so weak and short-period it’s going to be gutless. It’s the only morning with a score of 1 out of 10, which is the best we get.
After that, Wednesday morning, July 29th, offers a similar 2ft east swell with light cross-off winds, but the energy drops to 47. Again, clean but tiny.
The rest of the 16 days is a total write-off. The afternoon of July 22nd shows a bump in height to 6ft from the south, but it’s stormy, short-period (5 seconds) windswell with a fresh cross-offshore breeze. The energy is moderate at 146, but it’s a washing machine – not worth paddling out. For the bigger days with poor conditions, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
So, to sum it up: if you’re desperate and the calendar says July 28th or 29th, you might find a clean, knee-high dribbler at Nags Head Pier in the mornings. It’s not good, it’s just the only game in town. Don’t get your hopes up.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 112mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 31°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the WSW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Wed morning, min 23°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | E 10 | ESE 8 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 5 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NNE 5 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 76 | 38 | 1 | 146 | 98 | 77 | 33 | 43 | 45 | 58 | 51 | 44 | 75 | 46 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:24PM1.14m | 00:39AM1.05m | 1:13PM1.13m | 1:24AM0.97m | 2:02PM1.11m | 2:10AM0.90m | 2:51PM1.09m | 2:58AM0.85m | 3:40PM1.08m | 3:47AM0.82m | 4:30PM1.08m | 4:39AM0.81m | 5:20PM1.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:36PM0.18m | 6:49AM0.15m | 7:29PM0.24m | 7:31AM0.19m | 8:22PM0.29m | 8:14AM0.22m | 9:15PM0.33m | 8:59AM0.25m | 10:09PM0.35m | 9:46AM0.26m | 11:02PM0.35m | 10:36AM0.26m | 11:53PM0.34m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — |
mm | — | — | 66 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 31 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Feels °C | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 24 | 30 | 31 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | E 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 42 | 24 | 35 | 12 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 38 | 162 | — | 98 | 77 | 33 | 43 | 45 | 58 | 51 | 44 | 29 | 33 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 13 | N 3 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | — | ESE 8 | E 10 | — | SE 5 | — | ESE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | S 7 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | S 7 | S 6 | S 6 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 10 | — | 6 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 30 | 16 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 12 | E 12 | ESE 8 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 4 | SW 3 | SW 3 | — | — | SW 4 | SW 3 | S 5 | S 5 | SW 5 | S 5 | SSW 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 |
| kJ | 11 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 26 | 9 | 76 | 167 | 54 | 146 | 101 | 57 | 27 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 75 | 46 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 17 | 254 | 430 | 17 | 43 | 817 | 1073 | 911 | 519 | 254 | 94 | 13 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 170 | 172 | 84 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Nags Head Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Nags Head Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Nags Head Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Nags Head 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 (Nags Head 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 Nags Head 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 Nags Head Pier, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Elizabeth City which is 66 km (41 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Cape Hatteras which is 83 km (52 miles) away
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