Rodanthe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright you metric-haters, listen up. This is Rusty, and I’m here to give you the straight-up word on Rodanthe Pier.

Honestly, it’s a rough 16 days ahead. We’re lookin’ at a big, fat gap of nothing. The first real surf recommendation doesn’t even pop up until the tail end of the period. For the most part, it’s flat, weak, and messy.

From Friday, July 31st, all the way through to the morning of Sunday, August 9th, the waves are tiny. We’re talkin’ swell heights mostly under 3 feet, with periods around 4 to 9 seconds – that’s all short-period, wind-slop junk. The combined energy is stuck in the low double-digits, like 9 (that’s “weak”), and barely ever breaks 100. The wind is all over the place, but mostly cross or cross-onshore, and we’ve got a lot of “risk tstorm” days. The water’s a bit cooler than average for this time of year, right around 78°, about 3° chillier than normal. There’s not a single day worth paddlin’ out for.

Then on Sunday, August 9th, we finally get a little bump. The swell height hits 3 feet, with a 9-second period from the SE, and the combined energy spikes to 133 (moderate energy). But the wind is howlin’ at 22 mph from the ESE, so it’s a fresh cross-onshore, lumpy mess. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

The energy fades back into the 20s and 30s after that. The only real glimmer comes on Wednesday, August 12th. We’ve got a tiny pulse of 2 feet from the NE, but with a super-short period of only 4 seconds. The wind, though, is a light offshore from the W and WSW, which is a game-changer. The water will be glassy clean. The combined energy is still low – 37 – but those clean conditions are the best we’ve seen all forecast. It’s ankle-high, but it’s clean. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th have a little more size (2 feet from the ENE), but the wind swings hard onshore or cross-shore, and it’s lumpy again.

So, for the one standout moment, it’s the morning of Wednesday, August 12th. The swell is a weak 2 feet from the NE, but the offshore wind from the WSW is gonna make it clean. The break (Rodanthe Pier) is a consistent spot, but crowds can be a problem sometimes. For a beginner, that’s your only window in the whole 16 days. It’s nothin’ to write home about, but it’s the best we got.

It’s a long, flat run, but it won’t stay this way forever. Keep an eye out for changes. For now, the board stays in the truck.

Rusty.

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