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Jennette's Pier Surf Forecast

North Carolina, NC · Reliable OBX pier peaks, great on clean E groundswell.

▶ Watch the Nags Head / Jennette's Pier surf cam Surf cam · stream by SurfChex

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Jennette's Pier Spot Guide

Best swell

E
window NNE–S (30°–170°)

Ideal size

2–12 ft
breaking-wave face height

Best wind

W
offshore · E is onshore

Verified against

Buoy 44095
live NOAA readings · our error

The wave

BreakBeachbreak flanking a concrete pier
BottomSand
WavesReliable peaks both sides of the pier; handles clean E groundswell beautifully
AbilityYes — among the OBX's most consistent and watchable learning zones on small days.
Best tideMid
CrowdPopular — the pier is an institution and the cam sees everything
HazardsPilings, pier fishing lines, post-storm sweep
AccessBig public lot at Whalebone Junction; the pier is NC Aquarium-run

Local knowledge

Jennette's is the Outer Banks' flagship pier — rebuilt in concrete after Hurricane Isabel — and its sandbars are among the most dependable on the northern beaches. Contest organizers and the SurfChex cam both point here for a reason: when the OBX has any swell at all, Jennette's usually shows it.

Live cams

Nags Head / Jennette's Pier (SurfChex)

Nearby spots

FAQ

What swell direction works best at Jennette's Pier?

E swell hits Jennette's Pier straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from NNE (30°) through S (170°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.

What wind is best at Jennette's Pier?

W wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. E wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.

When is the best time of year to surf Jennette's Pier?

Late summer through fall is prime: hurricane season (August-October) sends the year's best long-period swell, and fall-winter nor'easters keep it pumping. Summer runs smallest outside of tropical systems.

What's the best tide at Jennette's Pier?

Mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.

Is Jennette's Pier good for beginners?

Yes — among the OBX's most consistent and watchable learning zones on small days.

How warm is the water at Jennette's Pier?

Roughly 47°F at its late-winter coldest to about 82°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 4/3 or 5/4 in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.

How far out is this forecast reliable?

The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.

Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →