Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming down the line for the Hatteras area. I’ll be straight with you – this one’s a tough stretch. We’ve got a long gap of flat, clean but tiny surf that just isn’t worth paddling for, then a pop of proper swell arrives but brings the wind and rain with it.

Starting us off, there’s nothing to get excited about. From now all the way through the end of the third week of September, it’s pretty grim. The first two weeks are a write-off for anything rideable. Through the 14th and into the 18th, we’re looking at waves that barely tickle the ankle, mostly between 1 ft and 1 ft out of the southeast or east, with a period around 9 seconds. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting in the 20s and 30s (combined energy of all swells directed here 17 to 45). The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year – nothing weird there. The wind is often light or moderate, and sometimes offshore or cross-off, so it looks clean, but you just can’t surf what isn’t there. No juice. No push. This is a solid 8‑day gap with nothing to recommend.

The first hint of something bigger arrives around Friday the 18th afternoon when a short period north-northwest windswell bumps up to 3 ft, but the wind is a fresh cross-off at 19 mph and the combined wave energy is still only moderate at 69. The surf quality is still poor. Then on Saturday the 19th, the swell comes up a touch more – we see 4 ft out of the north-northeast with a crude 6-second period, and the combined energy finally climbs to 129, so you can feel a bit of power in the water. The morning window has a clean look, with a cross-off wind from the north-northwest at 19 mph. That might turn a few heads for experienced locals, but with that period, the waves will be lumpy, sectiony, and messy – more of a windswell than a proper groundswell. Not the kind of day you tell your mates about.

We then move into the business end of the forecast, around the 22nd and 23rd. There’s a real pulse of energy forecast. On the morning of Monday the 22nd, the swell jumps to 5 ft from the east-northeast, with a period of 8 seconds and combined energy at 353 – that’s a solid shot of moderate to strong energy. That afternoon, it stays around 5 ft at 9 seconds and 396 energy. The problem is the wind: it’s cross-onshore from the northeast at 16 mph, and it stays that way into Tuesday. The report says the surf quality is poor, and the waves will be chopped up.

Then, on Wednesday the 23rd we get a bigger, meaner swell arriving – 7 ft from the east-northeast with a 9-second period, and combined energy skyrocketing to 736 and then 784. That’s a healthy dose of strong wave energy. But the wind is onshore from the east-southeast, 25 to 31 mph, with heavy rain in the mix. You won’t want a paddle board for this – you’d want a kite. The waves are blown out and the surf quality is listed as poor. It’s raw, unruly, and only any good if you’re expert and don’t mind a beating. On Thursday the 24th it eases a touch to 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind stays strong and messy before backing off in the afternoon to a cross-off. Friday the 25th still sees a 4 ft east-northeast swell but the wind cranks onshore again at near gale force.

Standout call: Honestly, there isn’t a true standout in this whole run. If I had to pick the least ugly day, I’d say late on Saturday the 19th and early on Thursday 24th, where you’ve got a bit of size (4 ft and 5 ft) with clean or offshore wind. But Thursday 24th afternoon at Rodanthe Pier is the closest to a winner: 5 ft from the east-northeast at 9 seconds, combined energy is 433, and the wind swings to a cross-off from the south at 19 mph. That will clean up the wave faces. It’s not world class, but it’s the best of a poor bunch. Crowds are possible, not crazy.

Right now, this is a waiting game. The surf is small to flat for over a week and then turns ugly when it gets big. I wouldn’t rush to the beach until you see a cleaner forecast.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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