Surfing in the winter months? It’s more likely than you think. Some of the best waves can be found in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. From the northern beaches of Corolla down to Ocracoke, enthusiasts can find consistent and hollow surf with which they can get their fill over the winter.
As the wide continental shelf flattens swells at most East Coast beaches, the narrow shelf of the Outer Banks allows swells of all sorts to hit the beaches. Additionally, the exposed nature of the location means they receive the full brunt of all low pressure systems, nor’easters and other tropical and non-tropical events. Sitting where three distinct water masses meet, Cape Hatteras also gets a little help from the weather. Coastal water from Virginia and North Carolina mixing with the cold Labrador Current and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream create conditions that are usually conducive to good surf.
Usually the best surfing is from late August through November in hurricane season, when swells from storms are likely to roll toward shore. But, there is a winter season for surfing. During the cold winter months, Outer Banks surfers deal with very cold water, sometimes as low as 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature, coupled with winds out of the northwest at about 30 MPH, frozen sand, and the occasional iceberg, provide the most ardent surfer with a true trial by water. A 4/3 cold-water wetsuit and a good set of sealed booties and gloves are all necessary equipment for surfing in winter.
Surf jargon measures waves in reference to body parts. In the summer, waves along the Outer Banks average knee to waist high, meaning two to three feet. Fall and winter swells can be head high or double overhead (which is six to eight feet). Many areas along the barrier islands also have strong rip currents, strange sandbars, and shipwrecks, so always surf with a friend and stay alert of water, weather, and beach conditions.
Most area surf shops have an even more up-to-the-minute pulse on the surf, but not all provide a formal "surf line" service. Following is a list of numbers to call for the daily wave report:
• Corolla Surf Shop
Corolla
telephone: .252.453.9283 (WAVE)
• Wave Riding Vehicles
Kitty Hawk
telephone: 252. 261.3332
• The Pit
Kill Devil Hills
telephone: 252.480.3128
• Whalebone Surf Shop
Nags Head
telephone: 252.441.6747
• Rodanthe Surf Shop
Rodanthe
telephone: 252.987.2435
• Natural Art Surf Shop
Buxton
telephone: 252.995.4646
Local radio station WVOD 99.1 FM offers a daily surf report at 8:45 AM, and, thanks to the Internet, you can surf the web to surf the waves. For an online surf report, you can visit SurfChex or the Corolla Surf Shop, or you can check out surf-cams for the following locations:
• East Coast Surf (Hatteras Lighthouse)
• Avalon Pier
Labels: 100th Post, Outer Banks Surf Report, Outer Banks Surfing
posted by Blog Administrator @ 1:34 PM
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