Rodanthe Pier Surf Break

Lat Long: 35.58° N 75.46° W

Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 18 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Rodanthe Pier sea temperature is
26.5° C
0.6° 

Rodanthe Pier surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Rodanthe Pier surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s period, SE swell with 132 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with SE 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Rodanthe Pier in the next 16 days are 1.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Thu 23rd Jul)2.5ft (0.7m) 8s
Best Surf 5AM (Thu 23rd Jul)2.5ft (0.7m) 8s
Most Powerful11AM (Fri 24th Jul)3.5ft (1.0m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rodanthe Pier over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a long hard look at what Rodanthe Pier has in store for us. I'm not gonna lie, the first week and a bit is a tough watch. It's a real slow burn of tiny, weak, and messy conditions that will test your patience. But if you can hold out, there's a genuine glimmer late in the period that could save the whole run.

Right now, we're in a flat spell. From the 18th right through to the 25th of July, it's all about tiny, gutless waves – we're talking nothing over 1 ft most days. The combined wave energy is pathetically low, often just a dribble of 12 (moderate wave energy), and that's being kind. The wind is all over the shop, mostly cross-off or just plain cross. There is a little moment Monday morning the 20th of July where a light offshore from the west kicks in with a tiny 1.0 ft swell, but honestly, it's barely a ripple.

Things stay grim. By the 22nd of July, the wind is howling near gale force at 31 mph, and while we see a bump in swell to 5 ft, the combined energy is still weak at 89 (moderate wave energy) and that old 4-second period is junk. It's a mess.

The 24th of July finally sees the combined swell energy tick into the low hundreds at 248 (moderate wave energy) with a 3 ft SE swell, but the strong cross-onshore from the NE at 25 mph will have it chopped to pieces. Not what we're after.

We continue to wait. Friday the 25th of July afternoon, the wind drops to glassy, but we're only looking at 2 ft of weak, short-period swell. It's surfable, but only just, and it's a one-star day.

Now, we have a real lull until the end of the month. There's nothing to recommend from the 26th to the 28th of July – it's just a few days of nothing burgers with poor surf conditions and scores of zero across the board.

Finally, the pattern starts to shift late in the run. Wednesday the 29th of July shapes up as the first real chance. We'll see a solid NE pulse come through. The morning kicks off with a clean 5 ft of NE swell (combined energy at 255 - moderate wave energy) and a moderate cross-off wind. It's still a bit raw with a 7-second period, but the waves are getting up there. By the afternoon, the swell pushes to 6 ft and the combined energy jumps to 420 (moderate wave energy). This is getting good, but the wind does swing a touch more southerly.

Here’s the standout session you need to lock in. Thursday the 30th of July morning is the pick of the entire outlook. We have a cracking 6 ft of clean NE swell hitting the pier. The combined wave energy is a solid 383 (moderate wave energy) with an 8-second period. But the real treat is the 3 mph cross-off breeze from the WNW – that’s nearly glassy and it will groom that swell beautifully. This is the one everyone's been waiting for. The water temperature is sitting at 80°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. Keep in mind this is a beach/jetty setup, so while it's consistent and the 8-second period will help shape it up, be aware that on the best days it can get busy – crowds are listed as "sometimes" here, so you might find a few other keen locals in the water.

The good energy hangs around for Friday the 31st of July. That afternoon looks glassy again with a 5 ft NE swell (combined energy 209 - moderate wave energy), but the direction is a touch more east-northeast and the period is a bit shorter at 7 seconds. It's a solid option for a few waves if you missed the window on Thursday.

After that, the swell fades quickly into August. The 1st and 2nd of August are back to small, weak dribble dropping to 1 ft, so don't expect much.

So there you have it. A lot of flat, frustrating days, but one truly excellent morning on the 30th of July that makes the wait worthwhile.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 85mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Sat night, calm by Mon afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 80mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 24°C on Thu afternoon). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SW on Tue night, light winds from the NNW by Thu morning).

Sat
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.1
E
13
0.5
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
NNE
4
0.2
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.3
ESE
9
1.5
S
4
0.6
SE
8
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
1
SE
8
1.1
NNE
6
0.9
NNE
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
7
6
22
3
34
10
3
6
6
7
38
16
89
42
29
23
46
132
74
65
Wind (km/h)
40
SSW
45
SW
30
WSW
25
SW
45
SSW
15
W
5
S
30
SW
35
SW
45
SSW
55
SW
45
SW
50
SSW
40
SW
30
NNE
40
NNE
35
NNE
40
NE
35
NE
25
NE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
2:31PM0.18m
2:25AM0.24m
3:37PM0.19m
3:05AM0.23m
4:42PM0.19m
3:43AM0.23m
5:42PM0.20m
4:25AM0.21m
6:36PM0.21m
5:18AM0.20m
7:25PM0.22m
6:28AM0.19m
8:11PM0.23m
Low Tide
8:49PM0.10m
10:09AM0.09m
9:32PM0.11m
10:54AM0.09m
10:21PM0.12m
11:38AM0.08m
11:21PM0.13m
12:23PM0.09m
00:36AM0.14m
1:13PM0.09m
1:56AM0.14m
2:07PM0.09m
3:07AM0.14m
clear
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:00
6:00
6:01
6:01
6:01
6:03
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:15
8:15
8:15
8:14
8:13
8:13
8:12
 mm
1
1
3
63
3
4
10
3
13
6
3
48
4
3
Temp °C
28
28
27
30
28
27
25
28
28
29
28
29
29
28
25
24
24
24
24
25
Feels °C
29
26
26
31
26
30
29
29
26
28
24
26
26
27
27
20
19
18
18
21
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Rodanthe Pier:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rodanthe Pier surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Are you planning a vacation in North Carolina? If you are looking for accommodation near Rodanthe Pier, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Cape Hatteras which is 44 km (27 miles) away.

Nearest locationNearest