Swell
0.3ft @ 11s
from E (90°)
Wind waves 2.0 ft @ 7 s
Cape Hatteras, NC · now
1.9
1.3 ft, ankle to knee, 7-second period, wind glassy.
- Small: longboard or foamie day
- Short-period wind swell, so expect weak, crumbly waves
Wind
0kt
from N (0°)
Glassy · overcast clouds
Tide
0.6ft rising
- High 8:10 AM 1.0 ft
- Low 3:22 PM 0.6 ft
Water
75°F
Boardshorts or bikini
Air 66°F
Swell chart
Now
Loading swell chart…
Forecast
Tap a time to see it on the chart.
| Today Best 8a · 1.8 Poor | Tomorrow Best 8a · 1.5 Poor | Sunday Best 2p · 3.5 Good | Monday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rating | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Surf ft | 1.37s | 1.37s | 1.37s | 1.27s | 1.26s | 1.16s | 1.36s | 1.43s | 1.53s | 1.74s | 2.14s | 2.34s | 2.55s | 2.85s | 3.36s | 3.76s | 4.16s | 4.37s | 4.26s | 4.07s | 3.46s | 3.26s | 2.85s | 2.45s | 2.55s | 2.56s | 2.46s | 2.46s | 2.15s | 1.95s | 1.75s | 1.55s |
| Wind kt | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14g22 | 15g24 | 18g29 | 15g25 | 16g26 | 18g30 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 21g30 | 27g35 | 24g36 | 22g31 | 24g33 | 23g33 | 24g33 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
| Tide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Open-Meteo wave and wind models, corrected toward the live buoy for the first 24 hours. Best times count daylight only.
Locals only · Cape Hatteras, NC
Surf reports and photos from local surfers. to read and post.
How the rating works
Size
Breaking wave height estimated from the buoy's swell and wind-wave readings, adjusted for period and for how directly the swell hits this beach. Cape Hatteras is ideal from 3 to 12 ft.
Quality
Wave period. Long-period groundswell (11+ seconds) makes powerful, organized waves. Short-period wind swell (under 7 seconds) is weak and crumbly.
Wind
Judged against the direction this beach faces (90°). Offshore and light winds clean the waves up; onshore wind and gusts add chop.
Tide
A small bonus when the tide sits in this spot's preferred range (mid), and a small penalty at the extremes.
The overall score blends all three, but size and wind act as limits: a flat day or a blown-out day can't score well, however good the rest looks.