I am going to Corolla NC in a month and wanted some help with the area's surf. I usually prefer punchy top-to-bottom surf (i shortboard) but I hear that this place is a longboard wave. I do not own a longboard. Has anyone surfed here that can point me to the better spots to surf while visiting? Gidyup - Graci
I've never surfed Corolla, so I can't comment on the punchyness there. Basically, if you head south it will get punchier. The further south you go, the punchier it will get. Don't go past Cape Hatteras, unless the wind is out of the north.
I used to live on the Banks and surfed everywhere pretty much... well almost everywhere Everything from Southern Shores to corolla is a mushier wave. Sometimes Southern Shores gets hollow. Kitty Hawk all the way to Frisco can break REALLY hollow on the right swell and wind direction (NW & W). I really liked surfing Pea Island, Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Frisco. Some of the best barrels for me were Rodanthe, Salvo and Frisco. Frisco with a south swell and north wind is sweet! Frisco faces SSW so you need a north wind for it to be offshore. Corolla is up there so you may want to try Kill Devil Hills. There are many many spots up and down Kill Devil Hills. Back in the day Atlantic St. in KDH (mile post 9) used to break really good. I haven't surfed there in about two years, which stinks b/c I love that place and have a bunch of friends there. nags Head can get hollow too. As with any beach break, the bars shift and sometimes dramatically. A note on Salvo, you really need 4 wheel drive. I used to park on the road and hike over the dune, that can be gnarly in the heat, haha... I actually used to surf Duck on my 6'6" and caught it a few time just huge... 15 foot faces....BIG and mush...screamin' bottom turns. Hurricane swell of course. The longest barrels you may catch in Frisco but that is around 2 hrs and 45 min from Corolla with no traffic. Well good luck there big wet monster and keep me posted. - John
din dong... the original post was last year... a der! well how did u make out there big wet monster? haha
Sorry... new here I was looking at the sign up date... I'll figure it out sooner or later...night shift blues I guess. anyway there big wet monster... good luck!! Sooo... r u the big wet monster?!?
Thqanks so much for the tips. Im heading down there this sat and saw that there's some swell'a'comin. I plan on trying to find some waves most of my time in and around Corolla and heading down to KDH as recommended. I will let you know how I do. GRACI
You should be able to find at least one fun bar down there. I've heard access past Oregon Inlet is very restricted, which will limit your search area.
straight across the street from jockeys ridge is a little drainage jetty that gets super fun. definitely worth a check if you feel like scuttling across someones yard while looking for a spot.
Corolla is pretty bad for waves, especially during the warmer months. The predominate winds are SW in the summer, and Corolla is just so far North from the Cape, that the swell just doesn't fill in a lot of times. You might get lucky with a NE swell and some SW wind cleanup, this time of year, though! Gonna all depend on if you can get a good front to pass. Right now, access south of Oregon inlet is restricted to Residents only, but I believe they plan to open the ferries to Non-Resident traffic next week. Not sure if the new bridge will be built yet from the North; I heard they are working on a temporary one that should be ready soon.
