Staying Home Sucks, home
Rodanthe, Outer Banks, North Carolina, Highway 12
Rodanthe, the nearest town. Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sea Haven

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 7 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 4 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 s
Energy
18kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 8 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
27kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 19 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 s
Energy
93kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 40 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 s
Energy
230kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 38 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
165kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 22 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 s
Energy
103kJ
Wind
WNW 14 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
50kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
15°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 15, too small
  2. Mon 24, too small
  3. Tue 38, too small
  4. Wed 419, too small
  5. Thu 540, too small
  6. Fri 638, too small
  7. Sat 722, too small
  8. Sun 812, too small
  9. Mon 95, too small
  10. Tue 102, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best Sep–Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Sea Haven, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov5, too small3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)59kJwind from the north-east, 15 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov4, too small2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov8, too small3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov19, too small4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov40, too small5 ft7 s6 ft at break (est.)230kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov38, too small4 ft7 s6 ft at break (est.)165kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov22, too small3 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.)103kJwind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore17°C
Sun 8Nov12, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov5, too small2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov2, too small1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north-north-west, 10 knots18°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

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 00:05 +0.2 mLow 05:48 −0.2 mHigh 12:35 +0.4 mLow 19:02 −0.2 m
  • 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

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 and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sea Haven

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

The spot faces E (87°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (267°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 27°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rodanthe, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 17°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 30 October 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$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
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

Closest

Rodanthe

1 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 30 October 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.