Surfing is more than a sport; it’s a release from stress of daily life, it’s a connection to nature, and it’s a way of life for the deeply committed.

A recent article on BleacherReport.com highlights the amazing surf on the Outer Banks and the awe-inspiring, yet nurturing, aspects OBX waves offer. The author, Steven Ward, grew up and learned surfing in Florida, but he has very fond memories of surf on the Outer Banks; including one bout with hurricane swell estimated by locals at 20 feet that humbled him to the sheer force of nature.

Speaking of the OBX surf, Ward went on to write, “It wasn’t the wave that filled me with an unsurpassed awe, but the waves in general; a collective gathering of large and small, each one in possession of its own identity.  The sport of surfing rescued me when I was a fledging teen and allowed me to claim something very special, very personal, and a link to nature at its various and tedious strength.  Indeed a force of nature.”

The Outer Banks has had a profound effect on many lives; vacationers come for a week and never leave, locals spend their entire lives on the barrier islands. Surf may only be one aspect of the profound nature of the Outer Banks, but it is an aspect that is renewed for surfers and non-surfers alike every time Mother Nature sends swell towards the thin strip of land protruding into the Atlantic. Gazing out at the waves crashing along the shore is an immediate reminder of how much nature and the Outer Banks have to offer us all.