Nags Head Area
Nags Head has some great windsurfing! Sometimes the wind is even better in Nags Head than down south on Cape Hatteras especially on a warm, sunny SW day where the northern Outer Banks can generate a thermal wind to couple it with the SW flow. There are also public access points to the Ocean Side the entire length of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. Beach driving is allowed with proper permits in the off season.
Jockey's Ridge State Park
Jockey's has a sound side parking lot protected from the wind located at the end of W Soundside Road in Nags Head which is just south of giant dunes of Jockey's Ridge.. Walk over the short dune to find ample beach space. Shallow water with some sand bars on the inside and some nice clean chop on the outside for some jumping. In season it can get very crowded with non-windsurfing families spending the day at the beach and there is no parking for trailers. Works in NW, W, SW and S winds.
Nag's Head Event Site / Miller's Restaurant
Formerly called "Windmill Point", The Nags Head Event site is owned by the town and used for large events. It's also free for anyone to use when there are no events taking place. The entrance to the Event Site is right off the main highway in Nags Head just North of Miller's Restaurant. There are also a few parking spots available right next to the small sandy launch if you pull into Miller's parking lot and turn right into the smaller town lot. The launch is right next to Miller's Restaurant behind the covered structure with the picnic tables, shower and bathrooms. The water is waist to shoulder deep and you can stand 75% of the way across to Manteo. It works perfect in winds from the S, SW, W,and NW. It can also be worth making it out to the wind line when the wind is from the North or NNE since it is shallow and protected by a few islands. NE wind is straight offshore and you're better off heading down to Avon.
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is the Mecca of Windsurfing for North America. Windsurfers travel from all over the world to enjoy the consistent winds, shallow waters in the sound and waves in the ocean. Avon is the primary windsurfing village in Cape Hatteras, but windsurfers also enjoy the waters off of Waves / Salvo which is just to the north of Avon and Frisco which is further to the south. You'll always find a good windsurf crowd in Avon.
Salvo Day Use
Salvo Day Use Area is a small sandy beach with shallow water and grassy rigging area. It's located just south of the village of Salvo. There is a sign on the West Side of the highway at the entrance.
Ocean Air Sports / Island Creek
If you're visiting Cape Hatteras to windsurf, there's a good chance that you're staying at Island Creek or the Pamlico Point Condos. These accomodations are located right next to Ocean Air Sports. If you're in town, Ocean Air also welcomes any windsurfer to launch to the south side of the building and enjoy the facilities on site. The world famous OBX-WIND windsurfing event is held here each year.
Perfect wind directions are from the SW, W, NW, N and to the NE. The water behind the shop can be shallow. Deeper water is just south of the white stand with the wind meter. If you have iwindsurf, the "Avon Sound" meter is help maintained by Ocean Air Sports and is out in the wind zone behind the shop and Island Creek. It's very accurate for the wind you will encounter on the water.
The Hole
Or the Canadian Hole, or The Haulover as we call it. This public launch is just to the south of Avon. If you like to hang out and chat with other windsurfers, or foil, this is the place you want to be. Ample parking, a sandy beach, and bathrooms are located here. It has both sound side and ocean access. Be careful crossing the highway with your gear to get to the ocean. Because of the low dunes, any wind direction can work here. S and SE winds are much better at the Hole than at Island Creek and Ocean Air Sports, while NE winds are much better at OAS and Island Creek.
It's called "The Hole" because it is literally a manmade hole. You can clearly see the area that was dredged for sand in the map view to the right. If you're foiling, watch the edges. It goes from 10-15ft deep to 6 inches in some places pretty quick. The deep section is plenty large enough to foil. This is the one location in the Avon area where you windsurf foil on the sound right off the beach. There are no kites allowed at this dedicated windsurf launch. Kites can launch just to the south at Kite Point that has it's own dedicated parking lot.
Frisco Woods Campground
If camping and windsurfing are your thing, the head over to Frisco Woods Campground. You can windsurf right from your camp site! Shallow water and good northerly breezes make Frisco Woods a great place to settle in and stay for the week.
