Outer Banks: 10.4.11 - Pretty Fall Day at Avalon Pier
Sure is a pretty fall day. In fact, October sure is a pretty month on the Outer Banks. Fall is settling in, and the pace of life seems to slow; the days are warm, but not too hot, the nights are cool, the beaches are empty, and water is warm….plus the fishing and surfing is fantastic. Can’t ask for much more than that. Happy to see you again October.
Sun & low 70′s today, but a northwest wind is keeping it cool. Surf is fading. Fish are biting. Water temps in the low 70′s.
Fall on the Outer Banks is ideal – warm air, warm water, empty beaches, fun surf, and great fishing.
Outer Banks: 9.13.11 - Perfect in Kitty Hawk?
It’s tough to find true perfection, but today is awful close to a perfect fall day on the OBX.
It would be nice to see some more size in the surf, and maybe slightly cleaner lines, but it’s darn close to perfection.
All the elements of a great beach day – Sun, 80′s, empty beach, almost no wind (very light west breeze), water at 75 degrees, waist high surf, & fish are biting!
Outer Banks: Hurricane Irene, After. Dad & child take in the devastation.
Hurricane Irene has come and gone. And she left quite a path of destruction in her wake.
There was a lot of hype leading up to Ms. Irene’s arrival. A potential Category 3 or 4 storm eventually landed on the OBX as a Cat 1. We were all very happy to see Irene’s intensity diminish as she drew close to shore, but the realism of a major storm was always in the back of our minds. Unfortunately, even that realism did not prepare us for the destruction that was about to arrive.
Last Friday (Irene arrived late that night), I took a trip to Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head to get a pre-Irene beach report. It was a nice day, but the conditions were worsening, and it was clear some funky weather was on the way. So, I asked a professional OBX photographer to tag along to capture some of Outer Banks: Hurricane Irene, “Before.” Luckily, Whitney of Whitney Norko Photography agreed to come, and we got some amazing before pictures.
Our plan was do to a “before” and “after” shoot of the same OBX landmarks. In a typical Outer Banks hurricane a before and after route along the “Beach Road” would make sense. But Hurricane Irene was not the typical OBX hurricane. This beast decided to attack the Sound instead of the ocean.
Around midnight on Friday the winds and rain began to pick up, and it was clear Ms. Irene had arrived. The winds and rain remained high throughout the night, but not overwhelmingly so. Around lunch time, my family and I decided to take a trip to the beach to see how things were, and to be honest, they were not terrible. The wind was whipping, and the sand felt like it was piercing my skin, but the beach and “Beach Road” were not seeing too much damage…some siding and shingles coming off homes, but not much significant damage. Here’s a link to my UStream video of the beach…not much to see, but you can get the effect of the wind.
After the trip, we adjourned home to take in the sites and sounds of the afternoon hurricane on the Sound. And the sites and sounds were eerily quiet. Foreshadowing of what was to come?
We took a walk out to the Sound, and it was amazingly empty! When Hurricane Irene began, here winds were blowing hard out of the East, and as a result, she blew almost ALL of the water out of the Sound. We walked 200 – 300 yards past the normal water line and THERE WAS NO WATER!
Within a couple hours after I shot that video, everything changed for the worse. Fast! And with force!
Once the eye moved passed, the winds switched to the west/northwest, and all of that Sound water that was pushed out came back, with a vengeance.
Sound-side on the Outer Banks took a beating for about 6-8 hours before the water – and 4-6 foot waves – started to recede. As a result, there is extensive damage on the Sound-side.
As a result of the Sound-side destruction from Hurricane Irene, our plans for a “before” and “after” photo shoot needed to be adjusted. Luckily, Whitney Norko Photography agreed to tag along again, and we were able to capture a lot of the OBX damage and devastation first hand.
I’ll warn you upfront, it’s ugly. Let the healing begin!
Outer Banks: 8.8.11 - Great Beach Day in Kill Devil Hills
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Monday, August 8, 2011.
This video was shot at the Sutton St. beach access in Kill Devil Hills at 9:00 AM; with a quick stop at the Lillian St. beach access in Kitty Hawk to catch some surf video.
Happy Monday! Great beach day with some great beach weather ahead for this week. It’s a warm one today, and the heat will stick around tomorrow, but then the temps fall to the mid 80′s for the end of the week.
Bright sun, blue skies, and temps in the mid to upper 90′s today and tomorrow. There’s a light offshore wind out of the southwest adding a cool breeze to the day, but that southwest wind has also cooled the water.
On Saturday, the water was in the low 80′s, and on Saturday night a strong wind switched to the southwest and blew throughout the night cooling the temps to the high 60′s – low 70′s. It is amazing how quickly the water temp can change based on the wind direction. The good news is the wind has died down, and it will switch to the east, northeast in the next day, so the water temps should jump back up quickly as well.
The southwest wind is tough for water temps, but it’s great for the OBX surf. We’ve enjoyed a decent swell over the past couple days, and today there are fun knee to waist high waves coming through, and that light offshore wind is cleaning them up very nicely. Some knee high swell should stick with us through tomorrow, and then the rest of the week is not very promising for surf. Small and that east wind won’t help.
Outer Banks fishing is going strong. Tight lines all around. Offshore is catching wahoo, dolphin, big eye and yellow fin tuna, with some bill fish mixed in. The piers, bridges, surf, and sound are all very consistent with a wide variety of fish – croakers, flounder, blue fish, spot, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, cobia, trigger fish, and some pompano showed up over the weekend.
Good morning. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Wednesday, July 27, 2011.
This video was shot at the Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills at 9:00 AM.
Great beach weather today. The weather pattern has changed over the past few days. The summer heat wave that was hanging over the area has moved off, and we are welcoming in very comfortable weather. We’ve even had short rain storms that past three days…unheard of over the past few months…the plants are loving it.
The humidity has dropped, and the temps are in the low 80′s today. It is starting off a bit overcast this morning, but the sun is fighting its way out, and it should be mostly sunny by the afternoon. There is also a light offshore wind out of the southwest that is adding a cool breeze to the day. This weather should stick with us for through the end of the week; a slight increase in temps, but great beach weather.
Unfortunately, there is no surf to report. The ocean is flat, flat, flat. I haven’t seen is this flat in quite a while. There is a tiny bit of swell coming in, and the offshore breeze is keeping it clean, so if you find the right spot, you may get a longboard wave or two, but not much in the form of waves today. And really, not much surf coming in next few days.
The good news is that the water has warmed up quite a bit. We’re looking at water temps in the mid 70′s, and with the wind forecast, it seems like it should stay warm for the rest of the week.
OBX fishing is going strong. Offshore is catching big eye and yellow fin tuna, dolphin, and some bill fish mixed in. The bridges, piers, Sound, and surf are all very consistent with a wide variety of fish – spot, croaker, blue fish, flounder, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, trigger fish, cobia. Tight lines all around!
Outer Banks - 6.9.11 - Perfect Summer Day in Kill Devil Hills
Perfect summer day on the Outer Banks. 90′s, sun, cool southwest wind. There is a tiny longboard wave. Not much, but it’s a great day to be in the water anyway. Fish are biting – offshore, near shore, piers, bridges, surf, and Sound.
Foggy start on the Outer Banks this morning. But the sun is pushing its way out, and burning the fog off. Sun & 80′s today. There are waves, but there’s a light north wind, so the surf isn’t as clean as could be. Although, the wind switch has helped the water warm up a bit. Temps have jumped back to the 60′s!. Fish are biting offshore, near shore, piers, bridges, and Sound.
Earth Day 2011 is approaching fast, and Seaside Vacations would like to do our part to support the environment…but we need your help.
The pristine natural environment is the Outer Banks most treasured asset; a wide array of wildlife, long stretches of gorgeous beaches, protected conservation lands, and the playground of Atlantic Ocean all offer a connection to nature that is rare in today’s world. We need to protect this connection.
In honor of Earth Day, Seaside Vacations will make a contribution to the Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Seems like the perfect fit!
We are committed to the protection of the Outer Banks for all to enjoy, and we want to put our money where our mouth is. For every new Facebook fan we get from now through Earth Day (April 22, 2011), we will donate $1 (one dollar) to the Outer Banks Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
Please help us support this great cause. “Like” us and share with your friends. This is one check we can’t wait to sign!
OBX surf is up all weekend. Sunny with temps in the upper 50′s to lower 60′s. Wind out of the west at about 15 mph. Head high clean waves.
We’ve had good swell in the water all week, and last night the wind finally swung around to the west to clean it up. The swell should be with us through Monday, and the west wind should match up at least into Sunday.
This video was shot at Lillian St. in Kitty Hawk 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM. The waves were a bit messy in the morning, but they have been cleaning all day, and tomorrow and Sunday are lookin’ good.
Great weekend to be on the Outer Banks. See you in the water!
Good afternoon. Here’s the Outer Banks Beach, Surf, & Fishing Report for Wednesday, October 27, 2010.
This video was shot at about 12:15 PM in Kitty Hawk, NC.
Summer temps are back! It’s a bit overcast, but the temps are in the low 80′s! October is pretty interesting on the Outer Banks; can feel like fall one day and summer the next.
The beach is empty today. A few surfcasters, but that’s about it. Water temps are still in the mid 60′s, and the ocean is beginning to become a bit more active. It’s been flat for the last week or so.
An active ocean is good news for fishing and surfing. Due to the increased activity, the Red Drum are biting, and we should see some great OBX waves by this weekend. The extended surf forecast shows Saturday and Sunday should be in the chest to head high range, and the winds should be light out of the west/southwest.
