Located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Cape Lookout is a fun, changeable beach break that breaks over a sand bottom. The waves here can be mushy and best suited to longboarding one day and switch to heaving barrels the next. Much depends on the swell and the configuration of the sandbanks. The waves can break for up to 150 meters providing some great sections for cruising, manoeuvres, or barrels depending on the day. Lots of camping in the area.
What are the best surf conditions for Cape Lookout?
Gets good from chest high to double overhead. We recommend riding your longboard or shortboard here, again, depends on the day. This break is suitable for all levels of surfers. The surf here usually has a wave to surf (5/10) and is generally uncrowded (4/10). The best winds come for the Northwest or West. The best swells come from the Northeast or Southeast. Works on all tides depending on the sandbars.
We recommend wearing boardshorts or a bikini in the summer when water temperatures rise to 28 degrees. In the winter a 5/4 is best when the water temps drop to 12 degrees. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
