Surf Forecasts:
Nags Head Pier surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s period, ENE swell with 117 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 9s 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 Nags Head Pier in the next 16 days are 0.8m 10s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nags Head Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what the Outer Banks has in store for us. Honestly, for the next week or so, it's a bit of a challenge. We've got swell on the charts, but the wind is just not playing ball, making it tough to find anything clean. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a wetsuit is still the call.
The first real chance of anything decent doesn't come until Wednesday, September 16th. The wind finally looks to ease up, going light and cross-offshore with a clean surface. Nags Head Pier will see a 3ft swell from the NE, with a short period of 7 seconds, and a combined wave energy of (115). It's not going to be the best shape with that short period, but at least it'll be rideable. The crowd factor is a "sometimes" thing there, so you might have some company, but it won't be a zoo.
The next morning, Thursday, September 17th, looks similar with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 2ft NE swell, keeping things clean enough for a paddle. The energy is a bit weaker though, at (54). It's a heads-up window, but nothing to get overly excited about.
Then we hit a big gap. For Friday, September 18th, the wind and swell don't line up, and it's a right-off.
Hold on to your boards for Saturday, September 19th. The swell size jumps up, with a 6ft NE swell in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon. The energy is massive, hitting (468) and (693). That's a lot of water moving. But here's the rub: the wind is howling from the NE at 25 mph, a strong cross-onshore that will make it a messy, lumpy, poor surf condition. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. It's also over 8ft, so this is for experts only, and even then, it'll be a battle.
Sunday, September 20th, still sees a solid 6ft ENE swell with strong energy (481), but the wind stays a stiff cross-onshore from the NE. It's going to be lumpy and messy again. The period is a touch longer, 9 seconds, but the wind ruins it.
So, the best of a not-so-great bunch is the early morning window on Wednesday, September 16th, and Thursday, September 17th, when the wind goes light and clean. That's the only time you'll find a cleaner surface. The bigger swell later in the forecast is a wild, wind-affected mess.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 26°C on Sat night, min 23°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Sat night, fresh winds from the NE by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Fri afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Thu night, calm by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 4 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 6 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 12 | 13 | 13 | 38 | 44 | 97 | 64 | 108 | 71 | 39 | 19 | 22 | 16 | 30 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:21AM0.92m | 4:02PM1.22m | 4:31AM0.95m | 5:07PM1.23m | 5:35AM1.02m | 6:07PM1.24m | 6:32AM1.09m | 7:00PM1.23m | 7:23AM1.17m | 7:49PM1.22m | 8:11AM1.22m | 8:35PM1.18m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:29PM0.21m | 9:22AM0.16m | 10:35PM0.20m | 10:33AM0.14m | 11:36PM0.16m | 11:39AM0.11m | 00:29AM0.12m | 12:40PM0.07m | 1:16AM0.09m | 1:34PM0.04m | 2:00AM0.07m | 2:25PM0.03m | 2:41AM0.06m | ||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | 7:24 | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — |
mm | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 12 |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 27 |
Feels °C | 27 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 22 | 29 | 31 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 10 | ESE 6 | ENE 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | S 4 |
| kJ | 12 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 54 | 38 | 71 | 22 | 13 | 22 | 8 | 30 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 10 | S 5 | S 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | ESE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 1 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 43 | 30 | 39 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | S 6 | S 5 | S 5 | — | — | S 5 | — | — | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 9 | NE 8 | — | NE 9 | E 10 | E 8 | E 8 | S 6 |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 22 | 2 | 9 | 2 | — | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 7 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 6 | ENE 9 | — | — | — | — | S 3 | SW 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | W 3 |
| kJ | 9 | 13 | 10 | 38 | 44 | 97 | 64 | 108 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 6 | 13 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1857 | 828 | 542 | 430 | 357 | 479 | 217 | 217 | 435 | 17 | 327 | 435 | 904 | 298 | 493 | 94 | 592 | 488 | 172 |
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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