Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. We’re looking at the forecast for the next sixteen days, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s a grim stretch for surf around Rodanthe Pier. The swell is basically a no-show, and we’ve got a long, dry run of near-flat conditions ahead. There’s a real gap here from the start all the way through, with nothing rideable on offer.

The first real chance of anything even remotely interesting doesn’t pop up until Tuesday, August 18th, and even then, it’s a tough sell. On Tuesday morning, we see a groundswell from the ESE with a very long period of 14 seconds and a swell height of 1 ft. The combined swell energy climbs to (148), which is moderate, but the wind is a cross-onshore NE breeze at 16 mph, making for a choppy surface. That combo of a long period and a tiny, weak swell at a beach break is a tough one—it’s likely to be straight and fat. Definitely not a standout.

The water is sitting at 82°, which is about 1° above average for the time of year, so nothing wild there.

Tuesday afternoon, August 18th, looks similar: 1 ft ESE swell, period dropping to 13 seconds, combined energy (111), still moderate, but again that cross-onshore chop from the NNE at 16 mph ruins any chance of clean surf.

By Wednesday, August 19th, the swell drops further. Morning sees a 2 ft E swell with an 11-second period, but the combined energy is only (87) and the wind is a light cross-onshore from the NE at just 3 mph. The conditions are described as having small wind ripples, so it’s not completely blown out, but with that tiny weak swell, it’s still not going to be worth a paddle.

The rest of the outlook into the second week stays very similar: tiny swells, mostly 1.0 ft to 1 ft, with periods all over the place from 5 to 12 seconds, and combined energy readings that are all in the weak to low-moderate range (16 to 39). The wind does swing offshore or cross-offshore on a few mornings, like Friday, August 21st morning, with a light SE breeze, but the swell is just too small to do anything with.

Honestly, there’s not a single standout session in this whole 16-day window. The combined energy only breaks into the triple digits for two sessions on the 18th, and both are ruined by choppy winds. The rest of the time, the energy is pitifully low. If you’re desperate for a splash, the cleanest conditions come on Tuesday, August 25th afternoon, when it goes glassy with 1.0 ft ESE swell, but the energy is only (23)—that’s a lake paddle, not a surf.

Forget the big boards. This is a kite-surfing stretch if anything, with those lighter winds and tiny waves. The surf just isn’t here. Keep your eyes on the charts, but for now, it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

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