Swell Intel

Cape Lookout Surf Forecast

North Carolina

Atlantic BeachFlatBogue Pier1-2ftCamp Lejeune1-2ftOcracoke2-3+ftOnslow Beach1-2ft
Cape Lookout surf spot

Current Conditions

Poor
Wave Height
1-2ft
knee to waist high
Swell Period
7.95s
Wind
5mph
SSW / Gusts 8mph
Conditions
Poor
Active Swells
Primary
2.3ft @ 9sE
Secondary
2.2ft @ 8sSE
Tertiary
0.2ft @ 14sESE

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Nearest Webcam

Spot Guide

Break
Beach
Bottom
Sand
Level
Intermediate
Crowd
Light
Best Swell
SE
Best Wind
NW
Season
Fall

Cape Lookout National Seashore is the ultimate East Coast adventure surf destination — 58 miles of undeveloped barrier islands accessible only by boat or ferry from Harkers Island. The cape geometry picks up a wide swell window and can produce world-class waves with virtually no crowd. Hurricane swells are prime time. Be warned: this area has the highest concentration of large sharks on the East Coast, and there are no services on the islands.

Sharks (great whites, bulls, tigers)Isolation — boat access onlyStrong rips and undertowNo medical servicesNeed cooperative boat captain

Forecast Charts

Daily Forecast

Thu, Mar 26Poor

Pretty quiet out there — 1-2ft and mostly poor with calm winds.

6am9am12pm3pm
9s E|Calm
Fri, Mar 27Poor

Slim pickings today — 1-2ft and poor with barely a breath of wind.

6am9am12pm3pm
7s ESE|Calm
Sat, Mar 28Poor - Fair

The sweet spot is around midday — 3-4ft waves, glassy conditions, poor - fair conditions. Early on is a little rough — give it until mid-morning to shape up.

6am9am12pm3pm
5s S|Calm
Sun, Mar 29Poor

Patience pays off today — morning is poor with 4-5ft. Later in the day looks more promising — 4-5ft and poor - fair.

6am9am12pm3pm
9s ENE|Calm
Mon, Mar 30Fair

First light looks cleanest — 3-4ft on ESE swell at 7s with calm winds. It gets a bit messier later in the day.

6am9am12pm3pm
7s ESE|Calm

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Cape Lookout Surf Forecast FAQ

What is the current surf forecast for Cape Lookout?
The current wave height at Cape Lookout is 1-2ft with a 7.95s swell period. Wind is SSW at 5mph. Conditions are rated Poor.
How accurate is the Cape Lookout surf forecast?
Our Cape Lookout forecast uses NOAA GFS and other weather models combined with spot-specific bathymetry to calculate breaking wave heights. Short-range (1-3 day) forecasts are most reliable. Extended forecasts show general trends.