Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for the next few weeks at Rodanthe Pier. To be honest, the outlook is a bit of a quiet one overall. We’ve got a long stretch coming up where the surf is just not cooperating, with tiny waves and messy conditions. A lot of the 16-day window is going to be a write-off, but there are a couple of small windows where it gets interesting.

The water at Rodanthe Pier is running at 84°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

First up, the early part of the week is pretty bleak. Starting Saturday 11th July through to Monday 13th July, we’ve got tiny swell, around 1 ft to 4 ft, but the wind is all over the place—onshore, cross-shore, even a risk of thunderstorms. The wave energy is weak, sitting between 17 and 204 (moderate at best on Monday morning), but the wind is just ruining any chance of a wave face. Monday morning the 13th sees a pulse of 4 ft from the ENE, but with a short period of only 7 seconds and a fresh onshore breeze, it’s going to be messy and sectiony. Definitely not worth paddling out.

Tuesday 14th July offers a tiny glimmer. Tuesday afternoon brings 2 ft at 8 seconds from the east, with a light onshore breeze and combined energy of 101. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Still, the water is warm, so if you’re desperate, you could float around on a foamie.

Now, the best of the whole stretch arrives on Wednesday 15th July. Wednesday morning, we get clean conditions with a light W/SW cross-offshore wind at 10 mph. Swell is still small at 2 ft from the east, 8 seconds, with only 79 combined energy, but the wind is glassy and clean. For a beach break, that offshore wind will make a huge difference and the little lines that roll in will be peelable. This is the standout in an otherwise quiet outlook. Get out there early before the wind picks up.

After that, it’s a long, slow decline. From Thursday 16th July right through to Sunday 26th July, the swell drops to barely 0.7 ft to 3 ft, with energy rarely cracking three digits. The wind shifts around but mostly stays cross-offshore or cross-shore, keeping it clean but tiny. There is a slight bump on Tuesday 21st July afternoon with 3 ft from the NE at 6 seconds and light cross-offshore wind, giving us 65 energy—that’s another ‘surfable but very ordinary’ window. Then on Wednesday 22nd, we get 4 ft from the NE at 7 seconds, with combined energy of 152 and 143, but the wind is cross-shore and onshore, making it choppy and unappealing. No real standouts there.

From Thursday 23rd right through to Sunday 26th, it’s back to tiny dribble. The swell never gets above 2 ft, and the period stays short—7 to 9 seconds. The wind is mostly cross-on or cross, with moderate breezes. There's nothing here that will get your heart pumping.

Honestly, for this 16-day run, Wednesday 15th July morning is the only real highlight. It’s small but clean, and with the offshore wind it’ll be a fun little session for beginners and anyone wanting to stretch their arms. The rest is a long flat spell with only a couple of ordinary, barely-surfable afternoons. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, keep your expectations low and your eyes on that Wednesday window.

Rusty.

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