Surf Forecasts:
Rodanthe Pier surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 18s period, E swell with 54 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rodanthe Pier this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Rodanthe Pier in the next 16 days are 0.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rodanthe Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening around Rodanthe Pier.
First off, the water temperature is sitting at 83°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s nice for a long session in boardies.
Right now, and for the next several days, it’s a tough story. Honestly, we’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, messy surf. From Monday afternoon through to the end of August, the swell is tiny – barely 1ft to 2ft – with poor energy levels (27 to 98). The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and with wind ripples and chop, you’re not going to find anything worth paddling out for. There’s a gap of nearly two weeks of nothing to get excited about.
The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Monday, 31 August, with a long-period groundswell arriving from the east at 18 seconds. But the swell height is still only 0.5ft to 1ft, and even though the wind is clean and cross-off, the energy is just too weak (43 to 74) to push any decent waves. You’ll be bobbing around.
Things start to look more promising on Tuesday, 1 September. The swell picks up to 2ft from the east with a 15-second period, and the combined energy jumps into the moderate range (134). That’s still not big, but with a longer period, there’s more shape potential. The morning has a cross-shore wind, so it’ll be a little bumpy, but the afternoon turns cross-onshore and choppy. Not ideal.
A better window opens on Thursday, 3 September. Swell builds to 3ft from the east, period 14 seconds, and the energy hits 306. Still poor surf conditions according to the numbers, but that’s a step up. The wind is cross-shore in the morning, becoming cross-onshore in the afternoon. You’ll get some rideable waves, but don’t expect perfection.
The standout – and I mean the real standout – is Sunday, 7 September. Monday morning, actually. We’ve got 5ft of east-northeast swell with a 9-second period, but the energy is solid at 502. And the wind? Glassy. Just about dead calm from the southeast at 5 km/h (3 mph). That’s the best you’ll see in this whole 16-day window. The waves will be clean, well-shaped, and fun for a range of surfers. The morning is the pick. Afternoon gets a bit of a cross-shore breeze, but it’s still okay.
Before that, Saturday, 5 September and Sunday, 6 September offer some size – 8ft to 8ft from the east-northeast – but with a short period of 8 seconds and messy, clean-but-strong cross-off winds. The energy is high (882 to 1094), but that short period means the waves will be dumping and crumbly. Not beginner-friendly at all. If you’re an expert, you might find some punchy, hollow sections, but it’s not going to be organized.
Overall, the best bet is to wait for that glassy Monday morning on 7 September. It’s not a giant swell, but it’ll be clean, fun, and the most surfable of the whole outlook.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Thu afternoon, light winds from the ESE by Sat night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 30 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 28 | 22 | 26 | 36 | 45 | 41 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 20 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:18PM0.25m | 9:29AM0.23m | 10:08PM0.26m | 10:11AM0.23m | 10:52PM0.27m | 10:48AM0.23m | 11:28PM0.27m | 11:23AM0.23m | 11:55PM0.27m | 12:00PM0.23m | 00:15AM0.27m | 12:38PM0.24m | 00:38AM0.28m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:39PM0.13m | 4:33AM0.16m | 4:28PM0.12m | 5:25AM0.15m | 5:11PM0.12m | 6:12AM0.15m | 5:50PM0.12m | 6:53AM0.15m | 6:25PM0.12m | 7:29AM0.15m | 6:52PM0.13m | 7:59AM0.14m | 7:02PM0.14m | |||||||
— | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | |
mm | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 7 |
Temp °C | 28 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
Feels °C | 29 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | NE 4 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
25 | 30 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 28 | 22 | 26 | 36 | 45 | 41 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 20 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | — | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 11 | NE 4 | E 15 | E 7 | ESE 4 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | — | — |
1 | — | 1 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 5 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 16 | — | E 14 | E 13 | E 8 | S 6 | SE 7 | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 |
1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | — | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | NNW 2 | N 4 | — | E 2 | SE 3 | SE 3 | S 2 | SSE 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 3 | S 3 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 14 | 1 | 5 | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 40 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 295 | 281 | 152 | 900 | 666 | 638 | 1045 | 584 | 141 | 47 | 140 | 36 | 350 | 4 | 3 | 423 | 152 | 1308 | 40 | 951 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rodanthe Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rodanthe Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rodanthe Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rodanthe Pier surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Rodanthe Pier) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Rodanthe Pier may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
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