Cape Lookout National Seashore Surf Report & Forecast

North Carolina

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Current Surf Conditions at Cape Lookout National Seashore

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Last Updated:Just now
Next Refresh:In 3 days
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🌊 Surf Quality Timeline (Week)

Best windows in green
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed

SELECT DAY

10:00 AM America/New_York
Surf Quality: FAIR
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM11 PM
THU

🌊 Surf Quality Timeline

Best windows in green
12AM6AM12PM6PM11PM

🌬️ WIND

N
E
S
W
9
kt

🌊 SWELL

N
E
S
W
2.5
ft
🌊
SWELL
HEIGHT
2.5ft
🌊
SWELL
PERIOD
6s
💨
WIND GUSTS
10kt
🌡️
AIR TEMP
19°C
🌊
SECONDARY
SWELL
1.6ft @
9s
🌧️
PRECIPITATION
0mm
SURF QUALITY
FAIR
Fair conditions - still worth a paddle. Sweet 2.5ft waves with mixed swell with light 9kt winds

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📊 7-Day Detailed Forecast

Expandable daily forecasts with hourly details

Thursday

Mar 26
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 0.8-2.6ft 💨 9-19kt 🌡️ 19-20°C
TimeQualitySwell HeightPeriodSwell DirWind SpeedWind DirGustsAir TempWater TempRain
12:00 AM
POOR
2.4ft7sESE11ktS12kt19°C15°C0mm
1:00 AM
POOR
1.6ft7sESE12ktS13kt19°C15°C0mm
2:00 AM
POOR
0.8ft8sSE13ktS14kt19°C15°C0mm
3:00 AM
POOR
1.3ft7sSE12ktS13kt19°C15°C0mm
4:00 AM
POOR
1.9ft6sSE10ktSSW11kt19°C15°C0mm
5:00 AM
POOR
2.5ft6sSE9ktSSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
6:00 AM
POOR
2.5ft6sESE9ktSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
7:00 AM
FAIR
2.6ft6sESE9ktSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
8:00 AM
FAIR
2.6ft6sESE9ktSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
9:00 AM
FAIR
2.6ft6sESE9ktSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
10:00 AM
FAIR
2.5ft6sESE9ktWSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
11:00 AM
FAIR
2.5ft6sESE9ktWSW10kt19°C15°C0mm
12:00 PM
POOR
2.4ft6sESE10ktSW12kt19°C15°C0mm
1:00 PM
POOR
2.4ft6sESE11ktSW13kt19°C15°C0mm
2:00 PM
POOR
2.3ft6sESE12ktSW14kt19°C15°C0mm
3:00 PM
POOR
2.3ft6sESE14ktSW16kt19°C15°C0mm
4:00 PM
POOR
2.2ft7sESE15ktSW18kt19°C15°C0mm
5:00 PM
POOR
2.2ft7sESE16ktSW21kt19°C15°C0mm
6:00 PM
POOR
2.2ft7sESE16ktSW21kt20°C15°C0mm
7:00 PM
POOR
2.2ft7sESE17ktSW22kt20°C15°C0mm
8:00 PM
POOR
2.1ft7sESE17ktSW22kt20°C15°C0mm
9:00 PM
POOR
2.1ft7sESE17ktSW24kt20°C15°C0mm
10:00 PM
POOR
2.1ft7sESE18ktSW25kt20°C15°C0mm
11:00 PM
POOR
2.1ft7sESE19ktSW26kt20°C14°C0mm

Friday

Mar 27
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 1.2-3.0ft 💨 20-28kt 🌡️ 13-20°C

Saturday

Mar 28
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 0.2-2.7ft 💨 22-27kt 🌡️ 10-13°C

Sunday

Mar 29
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 1.0-4.8ft 💨 8-24kt 🌡️ 11-17°C

Monday

Mar 30
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 1.8-4.3ft 💨 8-14kt 🌡️ 17-19°C

Tuesday

Mar 31
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 0.2-4.2ft 💨 12-15kt 🌡️ 19-20°C

Wednesday

Apr 1
POORCheck individual hours
🌊 0.6-3.5ft 💨 10-17kt 🌡️ 20-21°C

Forecast Summary

Best Day:Check forecast for optimal conditions
Average Swell:1.9ft @ 7s
Wind Conditions:9-28kt S
Water Temperature:14-15°C

Local Knowledge & Surf Guide

Local Knowledge

Cape Lookout National Seashore, stretching along the Core Banks and Shackleford Banks, offers powerful and often isolated surf thanks to its direct exposure to Atlantic swells. It performs best in fall, especially September through November, when tropical storms and nor’easters deliver consistent southeast and northeast groundswells, often groomed by offshore winds from the west. The shifting sandbars along the seashore create hollow, peaky waves that can get heavy and challenging, particularly at low to mid tide. Due to its remote, undeveloped setting and limited access—often requiring a boat or ferry—the lineups are virtually uncrowded, but conditions can change quickly, with strong rip currents and powerful undertow being common hazards.

Best Swell Direction: SE
Bottom Type: Sand
Location: County: Carteret County | State: North Carolina | Country: United States | Road: Back Road | Full Address: Back Road, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States

Ideal Conditions

This spot performs best under these specific conditions. Forecasts take these into account when rating surf quality.

Ideal Swell DirectionN
Ideal Wind DirectionW

🌊 Tide Table

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🌅 Sunrise & 🌙 Moon

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