North Carolina, USA

Country Data

Regions

2

Breaks

27

Coastline

484 KM

Cost of living

Current Time

Security

Health

Where to surf in North Carolina, USA

North Carolina has a much longer coastline than the Outer Banks, but the real quality waves are concentrated off these thin ribbons of sand.

Outer Banks

The Outer Banks are a bow-shaped string of narrow barrier islands, created by the merger of the cold Labrador Current from the north and the warm Gulf Stream from the south. These migrating islands with their transient sandbars pick up all types of East Coast swell and the dozens of piers provide some foundations, plus protection from wind and longshore drift. When it’s happening, there are full-on beachbreak barrels to be had, which are not short of power.

The South

The southern half of North Carolina sweeps away to the southwest, increasing the width of the continental shelf and weakening the energy of the waves. Access restrictions to a lot of pier-surf areas mean hassles, particularly in summer, but winter brings some good conditions, since the prevailing angle of the coast is perfect for offshores during winter nor’easters.

North Carolina, USA surf map

Explore the 2 regions & 27 surf breaks in North Carolina, USA.

Travel Information

General
Current Time
Tourist Info
Tourist Info

Security

Health

Money
Currency
USD

Cost of living

Communication
Dialing in
+1
Dialing out
011
Emergencies
911
Language
English
Electricity
Plug Type
a
b
Visas

Due to Covid there are special restrictions so it is essential to check the latest news before booking any trip. Normally most Europeans, Aussies, Kiwis and Japanese are part of the Visa waiver program so do not need a visa to enter the USA for up to 90 days, but they do need to apply for ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) which costs US$14. Other nationalities need to check as the rules are constantly being adjusted.

Due to global pandemic, Visas, Getting There, Getting Around or Accommodation information and pricing may have changed. Always check Government Travel Advice before travelling.

Travel Gallery
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Library

Helpful surf travel videos and articles featuring North Carolina, USA.

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Surf Culture

Cultural surf gallery for North Carolina, USA

History

North Carolina In the early 1960s, Smith and Holland, along with Govenors Surf Shop, opened in Kitty Hawk. These two surf outlets flanked the Kitty Hawk Surf Club, whose membership was swelled by surfers from the Elizabeth City area, an hour’s drive inland. Notable names from this period include the Fearing brothers and Dewey Weber teamster Jimbo Brothers, who transplanted to the Outer Banks from Virginia Beach. Few remnants of those 1960s years survived the 1970s bust. One exception is the Hatteras Island Surf Shop, which opened c. 1971, in the well-named town of Waves. One of the most enduring chapters in East Coast surfing history commenced a little to the south in Atlantic Beach, where the first district directors for the fledgling ESA were appointed in 1967. Buzzy Trent’s sister was penciled in for one of the jobs but was unable to do it, resulting in Betty Marsh taking the post. To this day, Betty remains an ESA stalwart and matriarch to the Marsh family surfing dynasty.

South Carolina Two California airmen were instrumental in kicking off the surf scene in the Folly Beach area around the summer of 1963. They opened a surf shop and got the kids onto boards but disappeared soon after, perhaps transferred to another area. Popouts from department stores like Sears were the sole equipment suppliers until McKevlins Surf Store opened in 1965. The surfing community grew so quickly that city authorities implemented controls and crammed all surfers into a two-block area. Injuries inevitably resulted, causing surfers to take legal action. Funds were raised, and an attorney took the case to State Supreme Court, where victory resulted in the reopening of all the good spots, providing surfers wore leashes. Ironically, the same lawyer is now the attorney for the City of Folly Beach! A steady stream of Californian servicemen kept drifting into Folly Beach, and they coalesced under various guises, such as the West Coast East Surf Club. They bought their boards with them, which helped keep the local surfers up to date with what was developing on the Left Coast. Local board manufacturing was non-existent and left to traveling reps with Noll, Weber, Hansen, and other boards to sell. West Coast manufacturers were constantly trying to get a foothold in the potentially huge East Coast market. McKevlins catered to the hardcore kids by stocking boards, wax, and cheese sandwiches, with a place to sit in front of a heater between pre-wetsuit midwinter sessions.

Georgia Surfers like Carlos Hudson, Mike and Rusty Fleetwood, and Chip Oar were shredding in the Tybee area right through the mid-1960s. During the ESA’s infancy, contests would be held at Tybee Island, and East Coast notables like Gary Propper would take on the local crew. The 4th annual Georgia State Surfing Championships, which took place on September 21st 1970, reportedly attracted most all of the surfers in the state — 100 entries. This small population remained static until the early 1980s, by which time a Hawaiian transplant working for the Coast Guard, had opened High Tide Surf Shop. There had been another shop in the early 1970s, but a shrinking surf population put it out of business, so for a few years there was no place to buy surf equipment in Georgia. The recent East Coast surfing explosion has extended to Georgia, bringing more industry infrastructure, surf shops and, yeah, surfers.

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