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?

60Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 s
Energy
12kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 47 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
53kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 s
Energy
116kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 58 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
138kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 73 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 s
Energy
146kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 69 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 s
Energy
150kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 51 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
72kJ
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 215, too small
  2. Tue 319, too small
  3. Wed 447, fair
  4. Thu 562, good
  5. Fri 658, fair
  6. Sat 773, good
  7. Sun 869, good
  8. Mon 951, fair
  9. Tue 1013, too small
  10. Wed 1114, 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

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sea Haven, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov15, too small2 ft4 s2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov19, too small2 ft4 s2 ft at break (est.)12kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov47, fair3 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the east, 6 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov62, good4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.)116kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov58, fair4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.)138kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov73, good4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.)146kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov69, good4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov51, fair3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the west, 8 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov13, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the west-north-west, 16 knots, offshore15°C
Wed 11Nov14, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)12kJwind from the west, 16 knots, offshore17°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 and its town

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.

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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 and 1 wind sports spot.

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 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.

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