ehh its iffy man. You're gonna need a whole lotta luck on the swell for the window of your trip. Now if you went during late july mid august you have a real good chance of snagging some hurricane swell. where are you trying to go there specifically?
i was in OBX last memorial weekend/week There was great surf everyday for the 6 days In-fact, the waves improved everyday and the day we left the best sets were rolling in... I was almost too tired to paddle out but I did...then drove home so, you can get lucky.
it's spring. you've got a better possibility of getting surf than, say, high summer, but there's also still the possibility that it'll be flat. i'd say you've got a better than 75% chance of finding something rideable there at that time of year.
YOu will probably score something to ride. Beware you need to bring all sorts of rubber that time of year. Water can go from 65 to 55 real quick that time of year. ONe day you can be in a spring suit, the next day in a 3/2 with booties , then boardshorts. Lots of Upwelling . If you see water is 65* in town the day before you leave and 72 down south, by the time you drive down it may be 55* in town the following day. Bring rubber so you can surf comofrotably while down. In Town = Nags Head/Kitty hawk/Kill Devil Hills South = Rodanthe thru Frisco
The past two May's have been pretty decent if I remember correctly. It seems like there are about two decent swells that have come through during the months and lingered for a pretty good amount of time. I'd say the earlier in the month the better.
Dude, waves in May are a definite possibility........May's not July. Man, I would tell you the magnet spots but then everybody would be all sore with me. But anyways, the outer banks are a spiritual place and the last bastion of the free spirit on the east coast. Soak up the experience and don't expect too much wave-wise. That way any good surf you may get will be gravy. I used to live there and the place is special. Watch out for cops, and don't drink and drive. They have a saying down there, "Come on vacation...leave on probation" But seriously the cops are over- zealous cowboys.......doesn't help that a great majority of the population is drunk/high. Aw man you haven't lived until you've watched The Price is Right at the bar at Mulligan's on a February morning. Give respect to the real locals - born and bred - but you'll only find a few of them. Everyone who lives there is from somewhere else.. PITTSBURGH !!! Lots of dudes there who haved lived there for three months and now are "JOE SURF" especially on the Northern Banks. Anyways just enjoy being down there......good food......cool hang outs and the most in-tune- with-nature coast on the east. Golly I miss that place. I should have never moved back to Jersey.
yea me and a few of my friends went down mid august last year and camped at the lighthouse fed campground it was a great time there were waves but nothing epic did meet alot of random cool people one who owned a bar and grill down there and had a epic skatebowl in his back yard though it was so sick hopeing irene didnt mess it up it was in waves which is where i would like to say.. trying to get a bigger group to go and rent a house for the last week of the offseason down there while im out of school but not on the work grind yet
I normally go down there for the first week in June and always have pretty consistent waves. Nothing like you get in late august to September but still loads of fun with some decent size. I was up more north, near Duck, and had the beach to myself every morning because its mostly families with kids so very few people were up that early and virtually no one will be in the water. I agree with bushwood, def bring at least a 3/2. Ive never been anywhere where the water temp has swung so heavily over the course of a few hours let alone what it can do over night.
I went to OBX a few years ago towards the end of may and caught it real good! 4 days of solid chest high surf...go for it!
Mr Shacks, its ALWAYS a great time! If you have a flexible schedule, wait till you see a swell in the forecast, then surf the whole coast while on the road trip down!!! I would suggest camping. good times and great waves for the east coast!
Very good chance of scoring waves in May, but May can sometimes be plagued with onshore winds in the Mid Atlantic. I, however, did take a trip to OBX in the middle of May last year, and we surfed every single day of the week. We had 3 days of 3-4'+ waves, and the rest of the days were smaller, but still rideable.
What they said, except the doofus talking about the cops. I know a lot of those guys and it ain't easy. I am a cop and you need to give respect. There is a huge heroin problem there, so be polite, respect the local laws, surf and have a good time. If the surf sucks, and it could, go fishing. It is one of the best times of the year to catch something good to eat.
Officer, everybody in my town is on heroin....and the next town...and the next town...and we have big, bad, inner- city thugs running around with it and their guns. Compared to here, an Outer Banks' beat seems ideal. Just watch out for those Wanchese boys......... Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful to the police. But why is it that the least crime-ridden, most peaceful places have police with the biggest attitudes. It doesn't do any good because 80% of the Banks' residents are substance abusers, and they aren't going to change. It's part of the culture/lifestyle down there. I understand that dealing with arrogant drunks, and playing baby sitter in domestic disputes is trying...and yeah you never know who is going to turn violent, but some police need to relax. I can only imagine the situations you face, the horrible things you see, dealing with the dregs of society, and seeing the worst of humanity on a daily basis. But you're not going to single-handedly win the "Drug War." All I said in my original post, was that the police on the Outer Banks are over-zealous. I just warned people that you aren't going to get away with Daytona Beach-Spring Break behavior there. Tourist area cops should be well aware of that "vacation" mentality, where people think they can act differently than normal because, "the're on vacation."
While we are talking about OBX i am heading down around June 17th I believe hopefully get a couple days with ride able waves anyone elses input?
