Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the Outer Banks has got cookin’ for us.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window is a tough one. Right off the bat, there’s a long gap with nothing ridable on the cards. From now all the way through to mid-August, we’re looking at tiny, weak waves. The first sniff of anything that even looks like a surfable lump doesn’t show up until around Thursday the 13th of August, and even then it’s marginal.

So here’s the deal: the whole first week and a half is basically a flat spell. Swell heights are hovering around 0.7 ft to 2 ft with short, weak periods, mostly under 8 seconds. The wind is all over the place, but mostly cross or cross-off, and with such little energy, there’s just no push. The combined swell energy is pitiful, only hitting two-digit numbers like 20 or 44 – that’s weak, barely a ripple. If you’re a kite surfer, the strong breezes and stormy afternoons around the 3rd and 4th of August might look more interesting than a paddle surfer’s dream.

The only real standout in the whole outlook is a very brief window right at the tail end. Around Thursday afternoon, the 13th of August, we finally get a little something. Rodanthe Pier is showing a tiny 0.7 ft swell from the east with a period of 11 seconds. That’s a longer period groundswell, which is promising for shape if there was any size. The best part? The wind goes glassy – dead calm – for that Thursday afternoon. That’s a major positive for clean conditions, but honestly, with only 0.7 ft and a combined energy of just 26, you’re looking at the absolute smallest of small waves. It’s not going to be good.

Friday the 14th of August morning sees a similar setup with a 1.0 ft swell from the east-northeast at 10 seconds and light offshore wind from the west. The combined energy climbs a little to 39, but it’s still weak. That's the best we’ve got, and it’s barely a paddle.

Water temp at Rodanthe Pier is currently 77°, and that’s 4° colder than usual for this time of year. So bring a spring suit, it’s a bit nippier than you’d expect for late July.

Bottom line: if you’re desperate for a splash, the morning of Friday the 14th of August offers the cleanest, most hopeful conditions, but it’s not going to be a day you write home about. Otherwise, this is a long stretch of flatness. It’s got to come good sometime, but this run is a bleak one.

Rusty.

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