Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening around Rodanthe Pier.

First off, the water temperature is sitting at 83°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s nice for a long session in boardies.

Right now, and for the next several days, it’s a tough story. Honestly, we’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, messy surf. From Monday afternoon through to the end of August, the swell is tiny – barely 1ft to 2ft – with poor energy levels (27 to 98). The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and with wind ripples and chop, you’re not going to find anything worth paddling out for. There’s a gap of nearly two weeks of nothing to get excited about.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Monday, 31 August, with a long-period groundswell arriving from the east at 18 seconds. But the swell height is still only 0.5ft to 1ft, and even though the wind is clean and cross-off, the energy is just too weak (43 to 74) to push any decent waves. You’ll be bobbing around.

Things start to look more promising on Tuesday, 1 September. The swell picks up to 2ft from the east with a 15-second period, and the combined energy jumps into the moderate range (134). That’s still not big, but with a longer period, there’s more shape potential. The morning has a cross-shore wind, so it’ll be a little bumpy, but the afternoon turns cross-onshore and choppy. Not ideal.

A better window opens on Thursday, 3 September. Swell builds to 3ft from the east, period 14 seconds, and the energy hits 306. Still poor surf conditions according to the numbers, but that’s a step up. The wind is cross-shore in the morning, becoming cross-onshore in the afternoon. You’ll get some rideable waves, but don’t expect perfection.

The standout – and I mean the real standout – is Sunday, 7 September. Monday morning, actually. We’ve got 5ft of east-northeast swell with a 9-second period, but the energy is solid at 502. And the wind? Glassy. Just about dead calm from the southeast at 5 km/h (3 mph). That’s the best you’ll see in this whole 16-day window. The waves will be clean, well-shaped, and fun for a range of surfers. The morning is the pick. Afternoon gets a bit of a cross-shore breeze, but it’s still okay.

Before that, Saturday, 5 September and Sunday, 6 September offer some size – 8ft to 8ft from the east-northeast – but with a short period of 8 seconds and messy, clean-but-strong cross-off winds. The energy is high (882 to 1094), but that short period means the waves will be dumping and crumbly. Not beginner-friendly at all. If you’re an expert, you might find some punchy, hollow sections, but it’s not going to be organized.

Overall, the best bet is to wait for that glassy Monday morning on 7 September. It’s not a giant swell, but it’ll be clean, fun, and the most surfable of the whole outlook.

Rusty.

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