Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and messy conditions ahead. The first real pulse of energy doesn't show up until the start of September, and even then, it's not going to be anything to write home about.

We’re looking at a solid week of nothing, from now through the end of August. The water’s warm, but the waves are just not there. We get some tiny 0.7ft to 1ft pulses, but with poor energy readings and mixed-up winds, it's a real lake paddle out there. The period is okay at times, but the size is just way too small to do anything.

Then, as we roll into the first couple of days of September, the energy starts to build a bit. The morning of Tuesday, September 1st, at Rodanthe Pier (Hatteras Island) sees the swell nudge up to 2ft with a 14-second period and the energy climbs to a moderate level. It’s surfable, but it's really ordinary. Winds are offshore from the WNW, so it will be clean, but it's a long paddle for a knee-high wave. The afternoon fades again, and the following day doesn’t improve much.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is the window from Monday morning, August 31st, into Wednesday, September 2nd. The wind is favorable, mainly cross-offshore with some solid energy readings. The swell direction is from the E, bumping against the optimum NE for the pier. But the size is still marginal, hovering around 2ft to 2ft, so it's really for the longboard crew or the truly desperate.

After that little tease, it all fades back to junk. The wind swings onshore and picks up hard for the weekend of September 5th and 6th, with fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. The swell direction swings around to the north and the period drops to 6-7 seconds. That’s not surf, that’s just chop.

Just a heads-up, if you see the forecast for that Friday afternoon, September 5th, with a north wind at 22 mph and 4ft of lumpy windswell, that’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. You’d be fighting a losing battle.

All in all, the water temp is running about average for this time of year, so that’s a plus. But the surf? Keep your board in the car and don’t get your hopes up too high. Forecasts can change, and this area doesn't tend to stay flat forever, but this window looks like a write-off.

Rusty.

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