Surf Forecasts:
Nags Head Pier surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period, ENE swell with 359 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period with E 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 (Jul 15) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. 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 1.9m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nags Head Pier over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. I’ve looked over the charts for the next couple of weeks, and honestly, it’s a tough stretch for us at Nags Head Pier. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty flat and wonky, so don’t get your hopes up.
We’re starting off with a real dud. Saturday the 11th through to Wednesday the 15th, the swell is tiny—just knee-slappers at best. The energy is weak, barely registering (11 to 277 for the combined swell), and most of it is short-period, windswell junk. There’s a little pulse on Sunday the 12th, but it comes with a risk of t-storms and a choppy cross-onshore wind that just messes it up. Not worth paddling out for.
The first real chance of anything surfable pops up on Wednesday the 15th morning. We get a clean, offshore breeze (12 mph from the W), but the swell is still only 2 ft from the east with a short period of 7 seconds. The wave energy is pitiful (41). It’s not going to be good, it’s just “surfable but very ordinary.” That’s about as good as it gets in this outlook. No standouts today, folks.
From there, it’s back into the doldrums. Thursday the 16th through to Saturday the 26th, the swell barely breaks 3 ft. Most days the wind is all over the place—cross, cross-off, cross-on—and the energy stays in the weak zone. On Friday the 24th the combined energy hits 109, which is moderate, but the swell is only 3 ft from the SE with a light cross-onshore breeze. Not exactly a call to arms.
Bottom line: there is no hidden gem here. No day with clean, head-high swell and perfect offshores. The best we can say is Wednesday the 15th morning is the least bad option, but it’s barely a ripple. If you’re set on surfing, you’re better off waiting for a better forecast. Otherwise, the kites might get a bit more out of the lumpy, windy afternoons around the 13th and 20th.
Keep your eyes on the sky, things can change.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 67mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 33°C on Fri night, min 22°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Sat afternoon, strong winds from the E by Mon morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Fri 17 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | N 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 8 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 17 | 151 | 359 | 277 | 181 | 92 | 32 | 53 | 37 | 26 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 39 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 4:47AM0.97m | 5:29PM1.37m | 5:50AM0.98m | 6:30PM1.41m | 6:52AM1.01m | 7:29PM1.43m | 7:52AM1.04m | 8:26PM1.42m | 8:50AM1.07m | 9:21PM1.38m | 9:46AM1.11m | 10:14PM1.32m | 10:41AM1.13m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:59PM0.15m | 10:48AM0.04m | 00:03AM0.11m | 11:49AM0.02m | 1:03AM0.08m | 12:51PM-0.00m | 2:01AM0.06m | 1:51PM-0.01m | 2:56AM0.04m | 2:51PM-0.00m | 3:47AM0.04m | 3:49PM0.02m | 4:36AM0.05m | 4:46PM0.07m | |||||||
 | |  |  | | |  | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — |
 | 8:21 | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 |
mm | — | — | 1 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 13 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 33 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
Feels °C | 33 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 34 | 28 | 33 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | — | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 24 | 31 | — | 181 | 92 | 32 | 53 | 37 | 26 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSE 7 | SE 10 | — | — | SE 10 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | E 6 | E 15 | E 15 | SSE 7 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | 2 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 10 | 24 | — | — | 23 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | NE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | — | — | — | — | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | — | SE 5 | ESE 5 | E 7 | — | E 15 | E 15 | S 4 | S 7 |
| kJ | 8 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 32 | 16 | 6 | — | 1 | 3 | 8 | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 3 | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | SW 2 | WSW 3 | SSW 2 | SW 4 | SW 3 | S 4 | S 4 | NW 3 | N 5 |
| kJ | — | 2 | — | 5 | 4 | 151 | 359 | 277 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 30 | 3 | 39 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 43 | 70 | 31 | 84 | 84 | 1182 | 172 | 172 | 174 | 170 | 189 | 309 | 17 | 0 | 430 | 605 | 592 | 480 | 1005 | 94 | 1283 |
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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