Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I gotta level with you right off the bat. Lookin’ at Rodanthe Pier for the next couple of weeks, and it’s a real tough stretch. We’re stuck in a pattern of small, weak, poorly-directed swell and onshore or cross-shore winds for the vast majority of the period. Don't get your hopes up just yet; it’s gonna be a long wait.

There’s a good gap of no real surf to speak of from now all the way through to the morning of Saturday the 19th of September. The waves we do see before that are tiny—like 1 ft to 2 ft—with weak energy (usually under 100) and coming from the ESE or ENE, which isn’t the optimum NE direction for this spot. The winds are mostly cross or cross-onshore, ruining any chance of a clean face, and a lot of it is just “poor surf conditions.” The water’s about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Finally, on Saturday the 19th morning, we get a flicker of life. The wind goes glassy—0 mph, calm as a lake—and we see 4 ft of swell from the NE with a short, weak period of 6 seconds. The energy bumps up to 108 (moderate), and it’s actually surfable, but “very ordinary.” It’s a window, but it ain’t a door.

Sunday the 20th morning cleans up a bit with a WSW offshore wind at 9 mph and 4 ft NE swell, but again, that period is just 5 seconds. It’s surfable but pretty junky.

Then the real trouble hits. Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd see the swell jump to 6 ft to 7 ft from the ENE, but it’s accompanied by howling onshore winds—31 to 34 mph from the NE. That’s a gale-forced mess, and the energy is high (over 500 on Monday afternoon), but with those winds it’s blown out and dangerous, not fun. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one for a beach/jetty break like this.

The whole second week is a write-off: huge winds, big cross-chop, and only small clean-up windows that don’t deliver. The only real standout comes right at the very end of the forecast.

The Best on Offer: If you’re patient, wait for Saturday the 26th of September morning. That’s your shot. Rodanthe Pier gets a clean 3 ft from the east with a nice, long 11-second period and a gentle offshore wind from the west at 9 mph. The combined energy hits 245 (moderate), and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s a long way off, so it’s promising but not locked in, but that’s the one window to circle on your calendar. That’s as good as it gets in this 16-day run, and for a beginner spot like this, that offshore wind and clean face will make it worth the wait.

Rusty, signing off.

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