Watersports

Ocracoke Island’s spacious and boundless beaches are ideal for surfing and kitesurfing, offering a safe and easy place for beginners and novices who want to get away from crowded beaches. Though summer offers the most enjoyable weather and water temperatures, a wetsuit can easily make these year-round sports. Surfers can expect gentle waves in the summer and heavy waves off-season, especially if there are looming storms in the Atlantic. Longboards, shortboards, soft tops, boogie boards, and SUP’s all work well here. Our local surfers are friendly and can be seen catching barrels year-round.

Ocracoke Island is also a world-class kitesurfing destination for ocean waves or sound side water kiting. Our unique geography offers unobstructed wind from all directions and a variety of downwind options. Twin tip boards are perfect for the shallow waters of the Pamlico Sound, while surfboards and foil boards work well in the ocean. 

More calm and shallow than the ocean, the sound is a playground for activities like boating, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, standup paddleboarding, waterfowl hunting, fishing, clamming, and shrimping. On the shoreline of the sound, you can find small sandy beaches with calm

waters, perfect for swimming and sunset watching.  And speaking of sunset watching, a sunset sail on the Schooner Windfall II makes for an unforgettable memory.