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?

9Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
12kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Tue 3 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 s
Energy
9kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 s
Energy
20kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
37kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 7 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 s
Energy
35kJ
Wind
SSE 9 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
58kJ
Wind
N 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 9 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 s
Energy
42kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 27, too small
  2. Tue 35, too small
  3. Wed 412, too small
  4. Thu 59, too small
  5. Fri 67, too small
  6. Sat 710, too small
  7. Sun 89, too small
  8. Mon 99, too small
  9. Tue 104, 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 intermediates. 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 2Nov7, too small1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)12kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 3Nov5, too small1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov12, too small2 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 5Nov9, too small3 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the south, 4 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov7, too small2 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov10, too small2 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)58kJwind from the north, 6 knots19°C
Sun 8Nov9, too small2 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov9, too small2 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)30kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore22°C
Tue 10Nov4, too small2 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the west-south-west, 10 knots21°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 intermediates: 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.

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 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.

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.