the beach today
Outer Banks Guide

Nags Head

Outer Banks

Everything for a day on the Outer Banks sand: conditions, parking, the sunset over Jockey's Ridge and where to eat after.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Free beach accesses & bathhouses

Jockey's Ridge

Dune-top sunset over the sound

Dining

Shrimp burgers, crab & fresh catch

Things to Do

Charters, dolphins & hang gliding

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Bonnett Street Access

Bathhouse, showers & volleyball

Free lot · lifeguard

Hargrove Street Access

Bathhouse & paved parking

Free lot · lifeguard

Jennette's Pier

1,000-ft NC Aquariums fishing pier

Free lot · pier fee

Jockey's Ridge Soundside

Roanoke Sound swim beach & kites

Free · calm water

Coquina Beach

Wide free beach on Bodie Island

Free lot · lifeguard

Nags Head Fishing Pier

Classic wooden pier & grill

Pier fee · restaurant

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Kill Devil Hills

5 min north

Wright Brothers Memorial & first flight

Manteo

15 min west

Roanoke Island, the Lost Colony & waterfront

Kitty Hawk

15 min north

Quiet beaches & the first-flight dunes

Hatteras Island

45 min south

Cape Hatteras lighthouse & wild seashore

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Nags Head. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Nags Head, the water is 64°F, surf is running 2–3 ft and the air is 66°F. Wind is 8 mph from the NE and the UV index peaks at 3 (moderate) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 240 minutes right now. Today’s tides: High 12:54 AM, Low 7:07 AM, High 1:23 PM, Low 8:06 PM. Dogs are allowed right now, on a leash.