Surf Forecasts:
Nags Head Pier surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 8s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 11s period, ESE swell with 128 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 8s period with ESE 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Nags Head Pier in the next 16 days are 0.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nags Head Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you—this upcoming stretch for Nags Head Pier is lookin’ pretty grim. We’re talkin’ a long, flat spell with hardly a wave worth paddlin’ out for. The whole 16-day window is a bust for quality surf. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sittin’ around 81°F.
We start off on Saturday the 29th of August with a tiny 1ft swell from the ESE, but a risk of thunderstorms and a light cross-onshore breeze makes it a total write-off. Sunday the 30th has a brief moment of clean conditions in the morning with a light offshore wind, but that swell is still just a pathetic 1ft with hardly any energy. After that, it’s a long, sad run of tiny, messy waves all the way through the first week of September. The swell stays under 3ft, and most days are plagued by cross-shore or onshore winds.
There’s a flicker of hope on Wednesday the 2nd of September morning—clean conditions with a light offshore wind and a slightly bigger 3ft swell from the ESE, with moderate wave energy (116). But it’s still just surfable, nothing special. Then we get another burst of moderate energy on Tuesday the 8th of September afternoon, with a 3ft ENE swell and a clean cross-offshore breeze, but it’s still chalked up as poor surf. The next morning, Wednesday the 9th, has a 3ft ESE swell with a fresh breeze, but again, the quality just isn’t there.
The only real standout—if you can call it that—is Sunday the 13th of September morning. The swell picks up to 4ft from the NE, with a light cross-shore breeze and strong wave energy (207). That’s the biggest swell of the forecast, but it’s still only rated as marginal. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s short-period windswell, not the good stuff. It’s a beach/jetty setup, so don’t expect any long-running walls. With NE swell and a light cross-shore, it might offer a few fun, punchy ones for the experienced crew, but it’s nothing to get excited about.
Honestly, for the next 16 days, there’s not a single day I’d recommend paddling out. The consistent lack of quality and the tiny swells mean this is a classic dry spell for the Outer Banks. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, leave the boards in the car.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Thu night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 13 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 26 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 34 | 128 | 116 | 100 | 65 | 45 | 43 | 27 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 9:12PM1.15m | 9:34AM1.20m | 9:53PM1.12m | 10:16AM1.24m | 10:35PM1.09m | 11:02AM1.26m | 11:21PM1.04m | 11:51AM1.27m | 00:11AM0.99m | 12:46PM1.25m | 1:07AM0.95m | 1:47PM1.23m | 2:12AM0.92m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:03PM0.10m | 3:20AM0.09m | 3:48PM0.09m | 3:58AM0.08m | 4:34PM0.09m | 4:38AM0.08m | 5:23PM0.11m | 5:22AM0.09m | 6:16PM0.14m | 6:12AM0.11m | 7:15PM0.18m | 7:08AM0.14m | 8:20PM0.21m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | 7:34 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — |
mm | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 25 |
Feels °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 34 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | NE 4 | NE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 26 | 13 | 11 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 21 | 128 | 116 | 100 | 65 | 45 | 43 | 27 | 17 | 17 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | NE 5 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 13 | — | — | — | — | NE 7 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 8 | 26 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 34 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | SSW 2 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | S 3 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | S 2 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SW 4 | WSW 3 | N 3 | — |
| kJ | 11 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 4 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 43 | 0 | 493 | 555 | 43 | 1076 | 752 | 78 | 254 | 49 | 0 | 49 | 17 | 17 | 105 | 427 | 43 | 504 | 605 |
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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