Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking. To be straight with you, the outlook for Rodanthe Pier over the next 16 days is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak surf that just won’t get its act together. There’s no standout session in this whole run, so we're in for a flat spell.

Right off the bat, from Thursday the 30th of July through to late August, the swell is consistently small. Thursday morning’s offering is a meager 1.0ft from the SE with a short period of 7 seconds, giving a combined swell energy of only (22). That’s barely a ripple, and the water temp is sitting at 77°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. The wind is cross-offshore from the NNW at 9 mph, keeping it clean, but there’s just no power behind it.

Moving into Friday the 31st, it’s still tiny at 1ft, period bumping up to 9 seconds, but with a combined energy of (24). Not enough to get excited about. The weekend follows the same pattern: Saturday morning shows a pathetic 1.0ft from the SSE with a period of only 6 seconds and a combined energy of just (15). By Sunday the 2nd of August, the swell tries to nudge up to 2ft from the ESE with an 8-second period, giving a combined energy of (46), but it’s paired with a fresh 19 mph SSW breeze. The wind is cross-offshore, so it will be clean, but it’s still just knee-high slop.

The first week of August is a real bust. From Monday the 3rd right through to Wednesday the 6th, we stay stuck in that 1.0ft to 2ft range with periods rarely cracking 8 seconds. The wind is mostly cross-offshore and clean, but with combined energy figures like (41) and (32), it’s weak wave energy all the way. The best of a bad bunch might be Sunday afternoon the 2nd of August, with that 2ft ESE swell and clean conditions, but it’s still only suitable for a longboard or a flat-water paddle.

The second week offers no relief. From the 7th of August onward, it’s the same story: tiny swells, poor surf conditions. Friday the 7th morning has a flat 0.7ft from the E with a period of 9 seconds and combined energy of just (11), even with glassy conditions. The biggest pulse in the whole 16 days shows up on the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August, with a 2ft swell from the E, but the period drops to a dismal 6 seconds, giving a combined energy of (39). It’s still poor. The wind stays cross-onshore that afternoon, making it choppy.

Honestly, there isn’t a single session I’d recommend paddling out for. The crowd factor doesn’t even come into play because there’s no surf to crowd. For the advanced crew, there’s nothing over 8ft, so don’t worry about that. The consistent cross-offshore winds do keep the water clean, but with such minimal swell, the setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Hang in there, tides change, and forecasts can shift.

Rusty.

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