Nags Head Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Straight up, it’s a lean couple of weeks for the Outer Banks at Nags Head Pier. Don’t expect much until we get into September. There’s a real dry spell ahead.

The whole first week is a bust. Saturday the 22nd morning is the only thing that’s even rideable, and it’s barely a ripple. The swell is 1ft from the ESE with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is a weak 40. The water is a warm 84°, which is running much warmer than average for this time of year—over two degrees above normal, which is pretty unusual. The wind is glassy, so it’s clean, but the waves are just ankle-high. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for anything. Crowds are only sometimes an issue, so you might have it to yourself, but there’s no juice.

The following days are a total washout through the 30th. Swell stays under 2ft, winds are onshore or cross-on, and the combined energy barely gets above 60. There’s a brief moment on Thursday the 27th morning with a 2ft east swell at 10 seconds and a light cross-offshore breeze, but it’s still too small to get excited about.

Then we hit a real gap from the 31st of August through the 5th of September. The swell tries to build, but the wind is messy. On the 31st afternoon, the swell hits 3ft from the ENE with a 6-second period, and the energy is 149, but it’s onshore and poor.

Here’s the one and only standout. Tuesday, the 1st of September. The morning brings a 5ft swell from the ENE with a 7-second period. The combined energy jumps to 455, which is moderate-to-strong. The wind is cross-offshore from the SW, so it’s clean. This is real swell, but it’s short-period, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. At 5ft, it’s getting into intermediate territory. It’s the best of the lot, but still marginal. The afternoon is bigger at 6ft from the east with a 13-second period, and the energy rockets to 1390, which is very strong, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the south at 22 mph, making it lumpy and messy. That afternoon is only for the experts, and the wind will ruin it.

After that, the swell drops off fast. The 2nd of September has some leftover energy from the ESE, but the wind is strong and cross-off. It’s clean but small. The rest of the first week of September is just tiny, choppy slop.

So, bottom line: The first ten days are a drought. The only real shot is the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September, with a clean 5ft ENE swell. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only window. Hang tight, the Outer Banks can flip quick.

Rusty

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