Hatteras Day Trip

On Tuesday, the swell and the wind forecast looked like there would be good surf in the Outer Banks, so my friend Ross and I made the call late Monday night to drive down to see what we could get into.  It was a beautiful morning and the waves turned out to be pretty good.  I usually bring my camera gear with me, but I decided to leave the gear at home this time.  

All photos taken with my iPhone 5 and edited in Camera+.

Checking the surf in Kitty Hawk in the pre-dawn light.  It looked promising, so we made our way south to Rodanthe.  

Driving south over the Bonner Bridge and onto Hatteras Island.

Surf check on Pea Island.  My friends and I have been checking the waves at this spot for over 15 years.  The surf hasn't been good here in a while, but we still check it anyway. No matter how old we get, we still run up the dunes like excited kids to get a glimpse of the ocean.

The view alone is worth making you sprint to this spot.

One of the things I love about this place is that it's always changing.  These dunes never look the same between visits.

Looking south down the island.

Surf check in Rodanthe.  

It looked a little better up the beach so I took a few quick shots before putting on my wetsuit.  The waves turned out to be pretty much as forecasted (thank you, Surfline), 4 to 5 ft swell with light west winds.  The waves were still a bit disorganized when I took these, but over the next several hours it got better.  Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday!

The water was still cold.  I brought my 5/4 hooded wetsuit as well as my 4/3 in hopes that I could pull off wearing the lighter 4/3. Unfortunately that wasn't the case as booties and gloves were still necessary.  

I carried everything with me in my Patagonia Guidewater Duffel.  It's split into two compartments, ones a dry bag and the other is a mesh compartment.  Its great for carrying wet gear as it helps it dry out while keeping your clothes dry.