week in OBX next week

well your in luck. surf looks to be pumping starting Saturday and building to clean head-overhead. i went to Frisco a couple weeks ago and had a great time. no one out but me and my boys. it's definitely worth the extra hour and half give or take

 

lots of the areas you're used to being able to access via 4x4 on hatteras island are no longer accessible due to nesting shore bird restrictions. this includes the actual cape point area.
check here: http://www.islandfreepress.org/CatBeachAccessIssues.html for more info. cape point is rarely a decent surf spot, def. more of a fishing area.

 

I'll be down there starting tomorrow through the weekend. Hard to say what the wind will be doing but could be a VAS down south.

 

point & cove is closed this time of year... go to Billy Mitchell access.

 

Ill be down south of the bridge all next week as well. Looking forward to some consecutive days in the water.

The "cove" might be the only spot working with the wind on this swell too. If you dont mind a mile and a half paddle and dont set one foot above the mean low tide line you wont be in violation of the closure. I dont have a problem with resource protection but the measures in place right now as a result of the consent decree are absolutely rediculous. Sanity needs to be restored.

 

Fairly certain that is ...
1. Impossible. Have you ever surfed the cove on a good/direct swell? That current is sweeping down the beach
2. Not allowed either... other wise the the fisherman would be all over this... and there is NO ONE fishing out there.

 

Seems you get my point. It was more of a Tongue-in-cheek comment.

Although the part about staying below the mean low tide line is accurate. Verifying where that is is an altogether different story. NPS property ends at the mean low tide line so they have no say of what happens past it.

http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/upload/033109 FAQ Beach Access Site Bulletin.pdf See Question 15 for your reference

 

Ha ha...Computers don't convey sarcasm that well. Well played sir. I've herd that mean low tide rule before and have done it under cover of darkness to fish for drum but the point is bare and has been the last two summers so I doubt they will actually let you do it otherwise folks (my brother included) would be all over some of the best surf fishing on the east coast. With local family, I am anti-beach closure as it currently exists and have blasted those tree-huggers who defend it on here...I'm an internet badass (sarcasm).

 

Yeah my point was to convey that this issue isnt just a beach driving issue. Its an access issue that affects all (ORV users, Pedestians, Surfers, Everyone). I have visited/lived summers down there for the last 39 years andI have witnessed the slow heating of the pot over that time to the slow boil we are at now. Its a shame the residents and visitors are being held hostage in this manner.

I dont think I have met anyone who fully understands what is happening to be in favor of the current measures. I try to fully explain the situation to those that dont fully understand any chance I get.

Anyway... Last day of work before the vacation starts so I will turn my focus from fretting over this issue to mentally preparing for some time in paradise. Lets see what this swell does (or doesnt....)

 

Man there are a lot of good sandbars in town (KDH/NH), you just need to drive a little bit and check some public accesses like you stated; the piers, eh, they are alright nothing to write home to mom about and usually packed with 10 guys trying to get the same ankle-slapping wave. I'd advise pulling in a few and have a look, I'm sure you will find a good bar with a little bit of searching and minimal people. As for Hatteras, I haven't been down in a while so can't say anything for certain. Check the websites given by the other people that might know a little more. I'd imagine the NPS site will have the most up-to-date info. Happy Hunting

 

If you have google earth on your computer you can use the links on the NPS site to get the current beach closure maps. Just make sure you select "don't save" when you close the map page otherwise the maps will be overlapped closures next time you open the link.

http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm

I spend two weeks in Waves/Salvo every year and have for the past 25+ years and will agree the beach closings are a hard thing to swallow. Last year when I was down there is was super flat but still took the time to cruise the open beaches to find atleast something small to ride and it was just my brother and I every morning and never saw another soul save for the NPS turtle/ bird counters.

 

To RobfromFredneck,

Cape Point is open to pedestrians along the eastern shore to the tip. You can drive your 4X4 to within about 0.3 mi of the tip, and walk the rest of the way. For most people here, however, this seems to be simply asking too much. The cove is still closed at this time. As several members have added, the point rarely holds decent surf; the cove can in the proper conditions, but as Stranded in Smithfield pointed out, the current is quite strong. And if naught but to provide some dissenting opinion, I generally support the measures to protect the natural environment that we all share.

 

i don't think that anyone has said that there should be NO protections. the way it has been handled, however, has been exceedingly poor & is strangling the island community.

 

if it's flat up there drive down to the lighthouse/jetties in Buxton or the southside Frisco.there's almost always something to ride even when it's flat north of Buxton.

 

I've heard an area called "s-turns" is good near rodanthe. I prefer going north on 12 to corolla. There is a beach up that way (corova) where you can drive as well. Less crowded than KDH sometimes. Corolla surf shop also routinely posts surf report here on swellinfo. Check it out and enjoy!

 

currently, cape point is open to pedestrians only along the shoreline. there are no nesting birds out there now and absolutely no reason to keep the point closed. the 'cove' is closed and if the park/audubon/etc get their way, it will be closed forever.

 

You are misinformed about some of these spots. KDH is a vast area of beach breaks, like 4 miles long. There are crowded streets but I have NEVER seen it shoulder to shoulder there like I have at the S-turns- a small strip of beach (300 yards?) that is generally gridlock packed on any decent swell. My advice on surfing in OBX- cruise around a little and find your own sandbar. If you head south, even better. Park somewhere random and hike over the dune.

Corolla surf shop... eh lets say that their surf reports should be taken with a grain of salt. He wants surfers to come to the beach so it's always a little hyped. For example, if the hatteras report says "nothing special" and the corolla one says "stoked", you should step back and say "hummmmmmm"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
my $0.02 on the beach closures due to bird nesting- The real locals (generalizing) are a fairly rough bunch. They love birds- in a pile at the bow of their jon boat. They are the ones who have to deal with some hippy from charlotte or DC telling THEM not to drive and fish on THEIR beaches. It's silly. If some bird is about to exit the food chain- that's the cycle of life. I know a lot of folks down there who are just about at arms over this proposal to close off even more of the OBX. It's sad how many freedoms these people have lost in the last few decades due to rowdy tourists and environmental nut jobs. Want to talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place? Tourists closing in from the north and environmentalists cutting them off down south. The peaceful fishing town that it once was is all but gone as strip malls, wal-marts, and outback steakhouses slowly take over the main road. Take a beautiful place and americanize the sh*t out of it, damn shame. Then once october rolls around nobody wants anything to do with the place until summer, and they are stuck with the strip malls and million "sunsations" stores.

Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution.

 

i totally agree with leestud,for once cuz im sort of a tool,except for the americanization part. w/o americanization we wouldnt have a home and freedom and protection and the growing population of obx would be squeezed even harder for jobs i dont like it but its the truth.