Professional surfers travel from around the world to surf here and many pros call these Outer Banks home. Recreational surfers find there way here each year for a holiday of wave chasing and riding. From businessmen to busboys, this area also boasts of hundreds of hometown surfers. While they may not carry the title of professional, male and female alike, they are among the best of the best and live here for the awesome challenges this ocean provides. So how does one know when it’s time to surf or if the waves are fun or epic? Seasoned surfers follow weather patterns and are always ready for when the great Atlantic offers up waves. Old school surfers might talk about the “coconut telegraph” but now web cams and surf reports, give daily conditions and possibilities. And there is always a telltale sign that says waves are going off – when you see pilgrimages of vehicles passing with a full quiver of boards piled inside and on the top, and surfers gathering on dune tops to watch the line up, you know it is show time!

The powerful punch of the waters that roll onto this 100-mile stretch of beaches from Corolla to Hatteras to Ocracoke Island creates many surf breaks and classes of waves. Piers from Duck to South Nags Head offer a break in the wind and cross-shore drifts and on best days, waves offer high energy beach breaks barrels. On the northern beaches the piers have great sandbanks on either side that present waves with hollow peaks. Of course, each beach access has its own fame and like all surf destinations, surfers give nicknames to their favorite places like “Landromat” in Kitty Hawk. As you go further south to Pea Island and Hatteras there are many great breaks starting with “Boilers” at Pea Island. At “S-turns” in Rodanthe, good barrels can be found. Northeast swells rule at Rodanthe Pier where the scene can be busy and parking difficult to find. Down south through the small towns you escape to capture lefts from the NE swells or decent bowls that swing in from the south. Frisco, Hatteras and Ocracoke fall into the line-up, but the most famous Outer Banks break is still at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Clean conditions and sizable waves mark this surf destination as almost always ride-able at anywhere from 2 to 12 feet tall. Remember, bragging rights go along with surfing “Lighthouse”!