Surf Forecasts:
Nags Head Pier surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, SE swell with 77 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period with SE 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. 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 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nags Head Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks for us. Gotta be straight with you – it’s looking pretty grim. The whole 16-day window is basically a write-off for proper waves. There’s no real swell to speak of, and what little energy we get is ruined by the wind.
We’ve got a long stretch of nothing here. From the start, right through to the 19th of August, it’s all small, weak slop. The combined swell energy is barely a whisper, mostly sitting in the single digits and low forties, which is about as weak as it gets. The water temp is sitting at 79°, which is about normal for this time of year, not that it matters much when there’s nothing to ride.
The only spot we have to look at is Nags Head Pier (beach/jetty setup). The swell is tiny, never getting above 2 ft, and it’s coming from the SE or ESE – not an ideal direction. The period is short, mostly 6 to 8 seconds, which means weak, crumbly waves. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but it’s often too strong, like that 19 mph southerly on Thursday afternoon. That’s just straight-up messy.
There’s a glimmer of something different on the morning of the 20th of August. We see a 3 ft swell from the SSE, but look at that period – a pathetic 4 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell. The combined energy is only 44, so still weak. The wind is offshore (WSW, 12 mph), so the surface will be clean, but the waves themselves will be gutless. Not worth the paddle.
Then on the 21st of August, there’s a 0.7 ft swell from the east with a very long period of 15 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, but it’s just too small to do anything with. The wind is cross-off, making it clean, but you’d be scratching for a ride.
Honestly, for the whole 16 days, there’s nothing that qualifies as a good surf option. The conditions are just too poor. The swell is tiny, the wind is troublesome, and the quality is consistently rated as poor. If you’re desperate for a paddle, you could try that morning of the 20th, but don’t expect much. This is a proper blank run for the area.
Stay patient, the forecasts can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 30°C on Sat afternoon, min 24°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Fri morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 25°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 6 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 31 | 11 | 11 | 34 | 23 | 67 | 44 | 35 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:05PM1.23m | 2:22AM0.95m | 3:07PM1.25m | 3:27AM0.94m | 4:12PM1.28m | 4:34AM0.94m | 5:17PM1.31m | 5:40AM0.98m | 6:19PM1.33m | 6:42AM1.03m | 7:17PM1.34m | 7:40AM1.09m | 8:11PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:32PM0.20m | 8:26AM0.11m | 9:38PM0.20m | 9:29AM0.10m | 10:46PM0.18m | 10:35AM0.09m | 11:50PM0.15m | 11:41AM0.06m | 00:49AM0.11m | 12:44PM0.03m | 1:42AM0.08m | 1:44PM0.01m | 2:31AM0.05m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 28 |
Temp °C | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 25 |
Feels °C | 30 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 26 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 33 | 29 | 27 | 32 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 |
| kJ | 31 | 11 | 11 | 34 | 23 | 67 | 44 | 35 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | E 11 | — | E 9 | E 10 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | S 7 | — | E 11 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 4 | S 4 | WSW 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | SSW 2 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SW 3 | W 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | — | 9 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1076 | 470 | 0 | 1171 | 217 | 17 | 309 | 94 | 245 | 254 | 337 | 605 | 1275 | 830 | 1976 | 2371 | 239 | 239 | 1409 | 239 |
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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