Staying Home Sucks, home
Rodanthe Pier beach landscape (Unsplash)
Rodanthe. Photo: Khürt Williams khurtwilliams, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Rodanthe

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

11Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (3 ft swell at 6 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 5 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 s
Energy
10kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 s
Energy
24kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
49kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
56kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 s
Energy
56kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
57kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 3 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 s
Energy
29kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
19°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 26, too small
  2. Tue 35, too small
  3. Wed 413, too small
  4. Thu 515, too small
  5. Fri 612, too small
  6. Sat 712, too small
  7. Sun 811, too small
  8. Mon 93, too small
  9. Tue 101, too small
  10. Wed 111, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

Rodanthe does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Rodanthe, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov6, too small1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 3Nov5, too small2 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov13, too small2 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the east, 6 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov15, too small3 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)49kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov12, too small3 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov12, too small2 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov11, too small2 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)57kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov3, too small2 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the west, 8 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov1, too small1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the north-west, 19 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov1, too small1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots17°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 01:17 +0.2 mLow 07:03 −0.2 mHigh 13:41 +0.3 mLow 20:01 −0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:25 +0.3 mLow 08:20 −0.2 mHigh 14:45 +0.3 mLow 20:56 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:26 +0.3 mLow 09:31 −0.2 mHigh 15:43 +0.3 mLow 21:45 −0.2 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Rodanthe

Waves, North Carolina, Outer Banks, Highway 12
Near Rodanthe. Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Rodanthe

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (260°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (80°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea is about 9°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 27°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Rodanthe, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,100–US$1,960 each

about US$1,100–US$1,960 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to ORF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$154–US$322
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
Totalabout US$1,100–US$1,960

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 2 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Rodanthe

about 5 min by car · 36 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 36 places to stay in Rodanthe · Booking.com

About Rodanthe its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 6h 55m

About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → ORF, direct, then 3h 05m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.