Swell Intel

Cape Lookout Surf Forecast

North Carolina

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

Current Conditions

Poor
Wave Height
1-2ft
knee to waist high
Swell Period
7.8s
Wind
4mph
SSW / Gusts 8mph
Conditions
Poor
Active Swells
Primary
2.5ft @ 6sSE
Secondary
2.4ft @ 9sE
Tertiary
0.9ft @ 8sSE

Never miss a good day at Cape Lookout

Sign up free to save favorites, set surf alerts, and get extended forecasts.

Sign Up Free

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
6s ESE|Calm
Fri, Mar 27Poor

Not the most exciting day — 1-2ft and poor conditions with glassy conditions.

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

Midday is the call — 2-3ft waves with glassy conditions and poor - fair conditions. Morning is a bit bumpy but things clean up by late morning.

6am9am12pm3pm
6s SSW|Calm
Sun, Mar 29Poor

Pretty quiet out there — 4-5ft and mostly poor with calm winds.

6am9am12pm3pm
8s ENE|Calm
Mon, Mar 30Poor - Fair

Dawn patrol is the move — 2-3ft on E swell at 7s with glassy conditions. It gets a bit messier later in the day.

6am9am12pm3pm
7s E|Calm

Unlock the full forecast

Sign Up

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 7.8s swell period. Wind is SSW at 4mph. 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.