Nags Head Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are looking flat as a pancake for Nags Head Pier. There’s simply nothing worth paddling out for. The whole outlook is a desert of poor surf conditions, with not a single proper swell train rolling in. We’ve got a long stretch of barely any energy, with the combined swell energy barely cracking 100 most of the time, and often sitting in the weak zone (like 8 for Saturday morning, 4 for Sunday). It’s a real bummer for a spot that’s usually consistent.

We kick off Saturday, July 18th, with a tiny 0.2m (0.7ft) swell from the ESE, period a short 8 seconds. That’s just enough to tickle the sand. The combined energy is a measly 8, so forget about any push. The wind is a cross-off at 12 mph, so it’d be clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

Sunday and Monday are basically the same story – wave heights barely reaching 0.1m (0.3ft) or 0.9m (3ft), with messy cross-shore winds and those tiny, weak periods. Tuesday afternoon sees a bit of a bump to 1.2m (4ft) from the S, but with a period of only 4 seconds, it’s just wind chop. The energy jumps to 68, but the quality is still marked as poor.

The most interesting (but still not good) event is on Wednesday afternoon, July 22nd. We get a 1.6m (5ft) swell from the S, with a combined energy of 161 (moderate), but again, period is a pathetic 4 seconds. On top of that, the wind is a strong cross-off at 28 mph, making it messy and blown out. This is honestly more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

There’s a tiny glimmer on Tuesday morning, July 28th, when we get a 1.1m (4ft) NNE swell with a period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 141. The wind is offshore at 22 mph, so it’d be clean, but the “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” comment tells you everything. The quality is still a 1 out of 10.

The rest of the run through the end of July and into August 2nd is more of the same: weak, onshore winds, lumpy cross-chop, and tiny swells. The water temperature is a warm 81°, which is about average for the time of year, but that’s the only nice thing I can say.

This is a tough one. There’s no standout session, no hidden gem. Just a whole lot of waiting. The best I can say is that the conditions are often clean, but when there’s no swell, clean doesn’t matter. Keep your gear ready, because forecasts can change, but right now, leave the boards in the car.

Rusty.

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