Nags Head · Dare County · North Carolina
South Nags Head Surf Report & Forecast, North Carolina
South Nags Head, North Carolina: 3 ft, waist to chest high, at 2 am EST on Tuesday, Nov 10, rated Good. The main swell is 2.4 ft at 11 seconds from the east, with a 5 mph cross-shore wind from the northwest. Water is about 66°F, so a 3/2 full wetsuit is the suggestion; the next high tide is 3.9 ft at 7:36 am.
3 ft
waist to chest high · occasional 4 ft
- Swell
- 2.4 ft · 11 s · Eplus 1.4 ft · 5 s · NNE
- Wind
- 5 mph (NW)cross-shore
- Tide
- 0.6 ft risinghigh 3.9 ft at 7:36 am
- Water
- 66°F3/2
- Air
- 62°Ffeels like 55°F
- Sun
- rise 6:33 amset 4:59 pm
South Nags Head surf today and tomorrow
Best-rated hour today at South Nags Head: 6 am, Good, on a rising high tide.
Blue band: surf face height from the low end to set waves; dotted: occasional larger sets. Grey line: tide, in feet on the right scale. Colour strip: the hourly rating. Arrows: wind direction and strength, teal when offshore, orange when onshore.
Best-rated hour tomorrow at South Nags Head: 6 am, Poor, on a rising high tide.
Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 3–4 ft | Good | calm | 3.4 ft |
| 7 am | 3–4 ft | Good | calm | 3.8 ft |
| 8 am | 3 ft | Good | calm | 3.9 ft |
| 9 am | 3 ft | Good | calm | 3.5 ft |
| 10 am | 3 ft | Good | 5 mph offshore (SSW) | 2.9 ft |
| 11 am | 3 ft | Fair | 7 mph offshore (SSW) | 2.1 ft |
| 12 pm | 3 ft | Fair | 8 mph offshore (SSW) | 1.3 ft |
| 1 pm | 3 ft | Good | 8 mph offshore (SW), gusts 13 | 0.8 ft |
| 2 pm | 3 ft | Good | 9 mph offshore (SW), gusts 14 | 0.6 ft |
| 3 pm | 3 ft | Good | 8 mph offshore (SW), gusts 13 | 0.7 ft |
| 4 pm | 3 ft | Good | 7 mph offshore (SW) | 1.1 ft |
| 5 pm | 3 ft | Good | 7 mph offshore (SW) | 1.7 ft |
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 2 ft | Poor | calm | 3.0 ft |
| 7 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | calm | 3.6 ft |
| 8 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | 4 mph onshore (NNE) | 3.9 ft |
| 9 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | calm | 3.8 ft |
| 10 am | 1 ft | Poor | calm | 3.4 ft |
| 11 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | calm | 2.8 ft |
| 12 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 4 mph onshore (ENE) | 2.0 ft |
| 1 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | calm | 1.3 ft |
| 2 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 6 mph onshore (ENE) | 0.9 ft |
| 3 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph onshore (E) | 0.8 ft |
| 4 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 6 mph cross-shore (ESE) | 1.1 ft |
| 5 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph cross-shore (ESE) | 1.5 ft |
South Nags Head waves today: sets, lulls and how they break
At 2 am, sets at South Nags Head arrive about every minute with about 3 waves each, and the waves are mostly spilling and crumbly.
- Set waves
- about 3.5 ft faces
- Waves per set
- about 3
- Sets
- every minute or so, each lasting about 7 s
- Lulls
- about 26 s between breaking waves
- How they break
- Spillingwhich means soft, crumbling whitewater
- Shape
- Crumblywhich means whitewater rolls gently down the face
- Breaking
- 43% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
- Along-shore current
- strong, about 1.2 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.
South Nags Head surf this weekend and the next 10 days
Next 10 days at South Nags Head: the biggest day is Tuesday, Nov 10 at 3–4 ft, and the best-rated day is Tuesday, Nov 10 (Good). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, 1–2 ft and Poor; Sunday, Nov 15, 1–2 ft and Poor.
Fri, Nov 20 – Wed, Nov 25
Days 11–16 for South Nags Head are in the Current app with a Premium subscription.
Bars: surf face height from the low end to set waves, by day. Colour strip: the day's best rating. Arrows: main swell direction. Shaded: this weekend.
The 10-day forecast as a table, with swell and wind
| Day | Surf | Rating | Main swell | Wind am | Wind pm | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 10 | 3–4 ft | Good | 2.3 ft · 11 s · E | calm | 9 mph offshore (SW), gusts 14 | 6 am |
| Wed, Nov 11 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 1.7 ft · 10 s · E | 4 mph onshore (NNE) | 6 mph onshore (ENE) | 6 am |
| Thu, Nov 12 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 1.2 ft · 9 s · E | 11 mph offshore (WSW), gusts 16 | 10 mph offshore (WSW), gusts 15 | 6 am |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 1 ft | Poor | 0.7 ft · 5 s · N | 17 mph cross-shore (WNW), gusts 22 | 17 mph cross-shore (WNW), gusts 22 | 5 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 2.1 ft · 6 s · NNE | 24 mph cross-shore (NW), gusts 32 | 22 mph cross-shore (NW), gusts 29 | 1 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 2.5 ft · 6 s · NNE | 20 mph cross-shore (NW), gusts 27 | 15 mph cross-shore (NW), gusts 22 | 7 am |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 2.7 ft · 6 s · NNE | 16 mph cross-shore (NNW), gusts 22 | 14 mph cross-shore (NNW), gusts 20 | 7 am |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 2 ft | Poor | — | 13 mph cross-shore (N) | 15 mph cross-shore (N) | 10 am |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 3 ft | Poor | — | 21 mph cross-shore (NNE) | 20 mph cross-shore (NNE) | 1 pm |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 2–3 ft | Poor | — | 15 mph onshore (NNE) | 14 mph onshore (NNE) | 1 pm |
| Fri, Nov 20 – Wed, Nov 25 | Days 11–16 for South Nags Head are in the Current app with a Premium subscription. Get the app | |||||
South Nags Head tide chart and tide times
Tides at South Nags Head today, Tuesday, Nov 10: low 0.5 ft at 1:03 am, high 3.9 ft at 7:36 am, low 0.6 ft at 2:09 pm and high 2.9 ft at 7:52 pm. At 2 am the tide is 0.6 ft and rising.
South Nags Head tide chart, November 2026
| Day | Tides |
|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 10 | Low 0.5 ft at 1:03 amHigh 3.9 ft at 7:36 amLow 0.6 ft at 2:09 pmHigh 2.9 ft at 7:52 pm |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Low 0.6 ft at 1:40 amHigh 3.9 ft at 8:16 amLow 0.8 ft at 2:45 pmHigh 3.1 ft at 8:31 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | Low 1.0 ft at 2:19 amHigh 4.1 ft at 8:58 amLow 1.3 ft at 3:24 pmHigh 3.4 ft at 9:15 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | Low 1.5 ft at 3 amHigh 4.4 ft at 9:36 amLow 1.6 ft at 4:13 pmHigh 3.4 ft at 9:58 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Low 1.7 ft at 3:47 amHigh 4.3 ft at 10:20 amLow 1.7 ft at 5 pmHigh 3.3 ft at 10:42 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | Low 1.6 ft at 4:40 amHigh 3.8 ft at 11:01 amLow 1.3 ft at 5:54 pmHigh 2.8 ft at 11:35 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Low 1.2 ft at 5:33 amHigh 3.3 ft at 11:56 amLow 1.0 ft at 6:33 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | High 2.8 ft at 12:36 amLow 1.3 ft at 6:27 amHigh 3.3 ft at 12:46 pm |
Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.
South Nags Head water temperature
The water temperature at South Nags Head is about 66°F on Tuesday, Nov 10. With the air feeling like 55°F and a 5 mph wind, a 3/2 full wetsuit is the suggestion. Over the next week the water stays between 64 and 67°F.
Water temperature is a forecast for the water at this spot, not a buoy reading. The wetsuit suggestion uses Billabong's wetsuit temperature scale, adjusted for air temperature and wind.
Surf spots near South Nags Head
- Jennette's Pier2.2 mi NNW · 3 ft · Fair
- Coquina Beach3.6 mi SSE · 3 ft · Fair
- First Street11 mi NNW · 3–4 ft · Good
- Avalon Pier12 mi NNW · 2–3 ft · Good
- Pea Island12 mi SSE · 3–4 ft · Good
- Laundromats14 mi NNW · 2–3 ft · Good
Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →
About South Nags Head
South Nags Head is a beach break in Nags Head, Dare County, North Carolina, facing east-northeast. Also called SNH.
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Forecasts are estimates. Never rely on them for safety. For rip current risk and beach hazards, check the National Weather Service. Forecasts from Current's novel physics simulation. No AI. No black boxes. Ocean and weather data: NOAA (U.S. government data). NOAA does not endorse this site.