
Surf Forecasts:
Rodanthe Pier surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 7s period, ENE swell with 134 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rodanthe Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Rodanthe Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rodanthe Pier in the next 16 days are 1.1m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rodanthe Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good look at what's cooking for Rodanthe Pier over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, I'm looking at a pretty bleak stretch ahead. The entire 16-day window is a struggle, with no real quality to speak of. We’re looking at a run of small, weak, and messy conditions that hardly ever lets up. There’s a long gap of completely unrideable stuff from the start, and even the bigger pulses later on are riddled with problems.
We start off with a proper dud. On Tuesday the 15th, the wind is howling out of the NE at 19 mph, making a right mess of the 4ft swell. The period is a poor 6 seconds, and it's all cross-on. Wednesday and Thursday don't get much better; the swell just fades away into knee-high nothing with that same nasty cross-shore wind. The combined energy is weak, dropping to just 46 on Thursday morning, so there is no push.
Friday the 18th is interesting – the wind goes light and offshore from the SW, which will make the 2ft wave faces look clean, but it's just too small to get excited about. That pattern of clean but tiny holds through the weekend and into early the next week.
Now, there is a bit of a pulse that shows up on Friday the 25th. We get a jump to 5ft from the NNE. The combined energy ticks up to 158, which is a moderate reading. But here’s the kicker – that wind swings to a brisk 16 mph from the NNW. It's cross-off, so the waves will be 'clean' in a wind-sculpted way, but that’s a moderate breeze making it tough. It’s still only a 6-second period, so it’s gonna feel weak and bumpy. Not really a surfer’s wave.
The biggest numbers show up right at the tail end, on the 29th of September and the 30th. We see swell size hitting 6ft on Tuesday afternoon, and then 7ft to 8ft on Wednesday. The combined energy gets strong, hitting 557 and 687. That’s a lot of water moving. But it’s all from the NE with a short period of 8 seconds, and the wind is a brutal cross-onshore at 22 mph. That right there is the recipe for a lumpy, junkyard closeout. Too messy for fun, and at that size, too much for beginners to be safe in those conditions.
Water temp at the start is a nice 80°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, so you could sit out there in boardies, but you wouldn't want to.
Bottom line: There is no standout. I can’t in good conscience recommend a single session. The whole 16 days is a bust. The breezes are just too persistent from a bad direction for this beach/jetty setup, and when the swell does finally arrive, it’s paired with awful wind. This is just a tough run for this stretch of coast. Keep the board in the car and wait for the charts to look friendlier.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Tue morning, light winds from the ENE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri night, min 24°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 11 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
106 | 94 | 134 | 93 | 78 | 54 | 30 | 30 | 40 | 27 | 25 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 42 | 59 | 38 | 26 | 25 | 35 | 21 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 2:05PM0.26m | 1:31AM0.27m | 2:47PM0.25m | 2:12AM0.27m | 3:31PM0.25m | 3:03AM0.26m | 4:26PM0.25m | 4:10AM0.25m | 5:35PM0.25m | 5:49AM0.25m | 6:49PM0.25m | 7:12AM0.25m | 7:55PM0.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:55AM0.14m | 8:38PM0.17m | 9:32AM0.15m | 8:57PM0.18m | 10:14AM0.15m | 9:09PM0.18m | 11:05AM0.16m | 9:45PM0.18m | 12:08PM0.16m | 10:34PM0.19m | 1:15PM0.16m | 1:41AM0.19m | 2:16PM0.16m | 2:59AM0.19m | |||||||
6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | |
— | 7:08 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
Feels °C | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 9 | E 8 | NE 6 |
15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 78 | 54 | 30 | 28 | 40 | 27 | 25 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 42 | 59 | 38 | 26 | 25 | 35 | 19 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | E 15 | — | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 8 |
4 | 4 | — | 14 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 21 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | E 11 | SE 9 | — | ESE 11 | E 11 | — | NE 6 | E 11 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 30 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 12 | — | 12 | 9 | — | 6 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 2 | SW 3 | WSW 2 | — | — |
106 | 94 | 134 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1438 | 1048 | 310 | 171 | 1045 | 145 | 36 | 1045 | 3 | 3 | 34 | 4 | 1048 | 1050 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 64 | 3 | 834 | 95 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rodanthe Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rodanthe Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rodanthe Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rodanthe 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 (Rodanthe 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 Rodanthe 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.
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