Destination guide
Cape Hatteras, United States
A thin barrier island off North Carolina with shallow sound on one side and the best waves on the American east coast on the other.
About Cape Hatteras
Hatteras Island is a ribbon of sand off the North Carolina coast, in places barely wide enough for the highway. That geography is the entire attraction. On the west side lies Pamlico Sound — thirty miles across, knee to waist deep for hundreds of metres, and about as forgiving a body of water as exists. On the east, across the dunes, the Atlantic delivers what riders here consider the best waves on the American east coast.
The season runs April to October, with autumn bringing the best swell and summer the warmest, easiest sessions. Wind is variable rather than trade-driven: south-westerlies work the sound-side slicks, north-easterlies favour the ocean. Most days give something, which is why people arrive with a full quiver rather than one kite.
The villages — Rodanthe, Avon, Buxton, Hatteras — are low, weathered and unhurried, strung along a single road. Between them sit the launches that made this island famous: Kite Point, Canadian Hole, the Buxton Slick. It is a place for people who want water rather than nightlife, and it rewards a long stay.
When to go
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October.
Kite areas
3 distinct riding areas documented within this destination.