Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report – 1.10.11 – Rock Fish Blitz is Still On!

Posted on January 10, 2011

Outer Banks - 1.10.11 - Chilly Start at Kitty Hawk Bath House

Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Monday, January 10, 2011.

This video was shot at the Kitty Hawk Bath House at 8:30 AM.

Chilly day with overcast skies. A north wind at 10-15 mph is adding to the chill. The clouds will stick around for the next couple days with a chance of rain tomorrow, but the sun should return for the rest of the week. But chill will remain all week; temps should be in the low 40′s.

Some swell has arrived in the waist high range, but the wind isn’t matching up, so no surf. Doesn’t seem like we’ll have surf most of the week, but the swell should build to chest high by the end of the week, and the current forecasts call for a good day of surf on Saturday. Forecasts change quick, so we’ll keep an eye on that.

The good news for the day is the rock fish blitz is still on. Last week was a huge week for OBX fishing. A lot of boats were out of Oregon Inlet all week, and most were catching their limit of two rock per person. Last week also saw that North Carolina state record broken twice! On Wednesday a 12 year old caught a 63 pound rock fish, and two days later his record was broken with a 64 pound rock fish. There have been reports of boats catching and releasing 50 – 100 fish in addition to their limit of keepers. Clearly, a lot of big rock fish are in the area.

Enjoy!

Fall in Love with the Outer Banks for Your Wedding Day

Posted on January 7, 2011

Outer Banks Weddings

The Outer Banks is a world-class wedding destination. Miles of empty beaches and gorgeous sound front lots offer the perfect backdrop for the big day. And since you’re at the beach, everyone can enjoy a vacation full of sun and sand.

The 13th annual Outer Banks Wedding Expo is this weekend, and we can’t wait to see all of the brides and grooms. It’s a whirlwind day with few hundred vendors and a few thousand attendees, but the Expo is a such a fun event filled with a lot of energy from the excited couples.

If you’ll be at the Expo, please stop by our booth to meet our great staff and get some help planning your big day. We will be giving away a complimentary three day stay as well, so please sign-up for the drawing.

Here’s a fun wedding video we’ll be showing at the booth.

Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report – 1.7.11 – Lake Atlantic & Rock Fish are Biting

Posted on January 7, 2011

Outer Banks 1.7.11 - Lake Atlantic at Avalon Pier

Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing report for Friday, January 7, 2011.

This video was shot at Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills at 9:00 AM.

Nice start to the day. Temps in the low 40′s and should get up to the mid 40′s. The wind is real light out of the west; probably 5 – 10 mph.

The ocean is very calm this morning. No swell coming through, so no surf to report. Looks like there could be a little swell coming through tomorrow, probably waist high. And the wind will still be out of the west, so it could be a nice clean wave coming through. But it will be on the small side.

Good news is the rock fish are still biting. There are a bunch of boats dotting the horizon this morning, and I’ve heard numerous reports of boats catching their limits. Unfortunately, still no reports any catches from the beach.

Enjoy!

OBX Pic O’ the Day – Overcast at Bittern

Posted on January 6, 2011

Outer Banks 1.6.11 - Overcast at Bittern

Overcast with a chance of rain, but it looks like the sun is trying pop out. No surf, but the rock are still biting. @ Bittern Street Beach Access

Big Congrats to Local Outer Banks Surf Photographer Matt Lusk

Posted on January 6, 2011

Matt Lusk is a relative newcomer to the surf photography world. With only a few short years of experience under his belt, he’s making a strong name for himself, and the accolades are starting to accumulate. In fact, you could say he is absolutely blowing up!

Matt can already claim numerous spreads in great publications (Surfer, Surfing, Surfer’s Journal, Eastern Surf Magazine), and now he can add a couple more awards to the memory banks.

1. Matt was just announced as the Photographer of the Year for Eastern Surf Magazine.

Matt Lusk - ESM 2010 Photographer of the Year

2. Matt just scored a two-page spread in Australia’s Stab Magazine Photo Annual book…even the other side of the world digs him! Stab picks only 15 of the best photos from around the world to be featured in the book. Matt’s photo is an aerial photo of South Africas Damien Fahrenfort no hand backside barrel courtesy of Hurricane Earl.

Matt Lusk - 2010 Stab Photo Spread

In addition to capturing awards, Matt is still busy capturing amazing shots. As a great surf photographer must be, Matt is always hard at work looking for the next great photo opp. He recently took a trip up the coast chasing swell, meeting new surf compadres, and snapping great pictures. The trip led him all the way to New England, and Surfer Magazine was kind enough to get them on the web so we could all enjoy: rad pics here.

Matt Lusk - Chilly Surfer Pics

Matt’s on a tear that just cannot be stopped. He just announced today that he scored a spread in the newest issue of Transworld Surf Magazine.

Matt Lusk - Transworld Surf

Matt is also in the process of closing out his 2010 and kicking off his 2011 by posting his top 10 pics of the year, with the accompanying story behind the picture, on his blog. The pics are great, and so are the stories.

And now for what I’m sure is Matt’s biggest honor of the year. :) Matt has been one of the featured photographers for the Seaside Vacations annual brochure for the past two years. Here are a couple examples of the stellar work Matt captured for us this year.

Matt Lusk - Seaside Vacations 2011 Brochure

Matt Lusk - Seaside Vacations 2011 Brochure (rainbow)

Huge congratulations to you Matt! It’s great to see some local OBX talent getting the great recognition they deserve.

And thanks for being a part of our annual brochure! We love sharing your pictures with all of our guests.

Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report – 1.5.11 – Rock Fish are Biting!

Posted on January 5, 2011

1.5.11 Outer Banks - Rock Fish are Biting!

Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Wednesday, January 5, 2011.

This video was shot in Kill Devil Hills at 8:00AM this morning.

Real pretty day. A bit on the chilly side with temps in the mid 30′s but climing to the low 40′s today. However, it’s pretty comfortable because there is almost no wind.

The ocean is flat, flat, flat. No swell, no surf.

The good news is the rock fish are biting! There were 500+ boats out of Oregon Inlet over the weekend, and many of them caught their limit of rock fish. The rock are running from Corolla through Oregon Inlet within about three miles of the beach. Unfortunately, no reports of any catches from the beach.

Enjoy!

Outer Banks Pic O’ the Day: Pretty Day at Hayman

Posted on January 4, 2011

Outer Banks - Pretty Day at Hayman

Pretty day. Almost no wind. Temps in the 50′s. No surf, but rock fish are here in full force. 500+ boats out of Oregon Inlet over the weekend. @ Hayman Beach Access

Y Partnership Loves Vacation Rentals Too!

Posted on January 3, 2011

: Seaside Vacations – Sandy Oasis

Ypartnership is a global marketing communications agency specializing in the travel, leisure, and entertainment industries. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the agency is one of the most frequently quoted sources on emerging trends in travel and tourism.

Ypartnership chairman and CEO Peter Yesawich recently issued their detailed forecast for the travel industry in 2011, and they see good things for travel as a whole, and great things for vacation rentals specifically.

I’ll spare you the all of the ingredients of the detailed report (you can find more here), but I’ll pull out a couple highlights…

1. Interest in condominium and vacation home rentals will demonstrate robust growth (almost half of all leisure travelers are now interested in a vacation home rental as an alternative to conventional lodging when on vacation), particularly among family travelers seeking more space and better value.

2. As of October of this year, fully 55 percent of all U.S. adults were planning at least one overnight trip primarily for leisure purposes during the first two calendar quarters of 2011, up slightly from the 53 percent who expressed this sentiment at the same point in time in 2009.

It’s great to see some positive forecasts. Could be a good idea to book your vacation home early, and we’d love to help.

www.OuterBanksVacations.com

Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report – 1.3.11 Great Rock Fishing!

Posted on January 3, 2011

Chilly at 5th St.

Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Monday, January 3, 2011.

Happy New Year.

This video was shot just south of the Avalon Pier at 5th St. in Kill Devil Hills at 8:30 AM.

Pretty day, but it’s chilly. Bright sun and blue skies, but a stiff wind is coming out of the north at 20 mph. The OBX enjoyed 60 degree temps and no wind to start the new year, but the winds picked up last night, and temps have dropped to the low 40′s. It should be sunny and in the low 40′s most of the week.

No surf to report. There could be a small window of opportunity today for chest high waves, but it won’t clean up until around sunset, and the forecast shows little to no swell all week.

On the bright side, the rock fishing is going off! There are reports from the weekend of 500+ boats launching from Oregon Inlet, and most caught their fill of rock. Police needed to come out to direct traffic and waits to launch were as long as three hours. Rock were caught from Corolla to Oregon Inlet within three miles of the beach. Unfortunately, no reports of catches from the shore.

Enjoy!