Q - Where are there good surf spots in Corolla?
North beach (4 wheel drive) long stretches of non crowded beaches with changing sandbars gives the rider many breaks to choose from. Also the best spot to see Corollas famous wild horses.
Lighthouse beach access is an off season vehicle access directly across the street from the Currituck Lighthouse. There is parking right up to the dune line or you can drive right onto the beach from October 1st - May 1st. The break is usually good with a shallow sand bar with rights and lefts.
Buck Island is a resort community just south of the Food Lion shopping center and directly across from the Tim Buck II shopping center. There is a public parking lot with a long boardwalk to the beach. Lots of waves when the swell is up, another shallow sand bar. Better at incoming tide.
Pine Island access is a public beach access located on the north end of Pine Island right across the street from the ABC store and the Currituck County welcome center. It tend to be a little deeper here, good when the swell is big and dumping every where else. Parking at the public lot, walkway to the beach.
Q- When is the best time of day to go surfing?
During the summer months the Outer Banks has a prevailing wind of South West during the morning and early afternoon. This wind direction is "off shore" and makes the surface of the ocean very smooth and makes the waves break clean. As the sun warms the earth and makes it warmer than the ocean, the wind gets pulled from the ocean toward the beach. This causes "on-shore" wind and makes the ocean surface choppy and makes the waves blown out. This usually occurs around 3pm or so.
As far as tides go, it kind of depends on what break you want to surf. Shallower breaks seem to be better at incoming - high tide. Deeper breaks are best at a lower tide.
So all in all, keep a eye on the wind forecast, swell forecast, and know what the tides are doing for your best time to hit the surf.
Q- What kind of wetsuits do you need for what conditions?
- +80 Degrees Rashguard
- 70-79 Degrees Short John surf jacket, Spring suit, 50/50
- 65-70 Degrees Long sleeve spring, short sleeve full
- 55-64 Degrees 3/2 fullsuit
- 48-55 Degrees 4/3 fullsuit, booties, gloves
- 40-48 Degrees 5/4/3 hooded fullsuit, booties, gloves
- -39 Degrees 6/5/4 hooded fullsuit, booties, gloves
Q- Where can I skate in Corolla?
Island revolution has the only skatepark facility in Corolla. It is always supervised by a CPR certified attendant. Skatepark hours are the same as the shop hours(9-8 in the summer months).
Q-Where can I drive on the beach?
Corollas Northern drive on beaches are just minutes away from our surf shop, Visit us for tire pressure suggestions and the best place to see the horses. Four wheel drive vehicles are a must for this trip.
Q- What are surfings rights and wrongs?
- Pick the right spot for your ability.
- Don't drop in on other surfers.
- When paddling out stay out of the way of other surfers.
- Learn to take turns.
- Respect the line-up.
- Respect the locals.
- Always aid another surfer in trouble.
- Relax, have fun, and enjoy your surfing and that of your fellow surfer.
Q-Where can I check the wave forecast?
Here is a link that will give you access to Corollas wave action for the week.Wave forecast
Q-Where can I go in Corolla for nighttime fun?
Sundogs sports bar and Grill and Dr.unks aka Tomato Patch are two of Corolla locals favorite hangouts. Both have great food and nightly entertainment throughout the summer months.
Q-What are the differences in surfboards? And what should I buy?
The bigger the board the easier to catch waves and stand up! The thickness will determine how well the board will float. The more it floats the easier it is to paddle and catch waves. The wider and longer the more stable it will be when u stand up. These longboards are usually equipped with one large fin or skeg. The other end is the short board which is for more experienced surfers, its narrow and short design give the surfer responsiveness for quick turns. Short boards are usually equipped with a much shorter tri fin system. In between you will find the funshape its the best of both worlds and offers the maneuverability of a short board with the ease of a longboard. If you are a beginner thats only going to have one board this is the one.
Q-How do different Surfboard tails affect the Way they ride?
Pintails - Pintails are designed to provide maximum control and surface hold on the wave. They have minimal surface area and come to a point at the end with little curvature. This decreased surface area decreases the lift on the tail and allows the point to dig into the face of the wave, causing the board to "track" or maintain direction. Pintails are used almost exclusively on big wave gun surfboards, where control is the most important element. Pintails are not so maneuverable, but when you're speeding down the face of a 20' Waimea bomb it is more important that the board go straight and not suddenly start snaking all over the place.
Roundpin Tail - This surfboard tail design is a more versatile version of the pintail with a bit more width and curve. It is the halfway point between round tails and pintails, ideal for medium sized surf, anywhere from shoulder to almost double overhead. Softer curve coming to either a point or a rounded point. This tail design provides a moderate reduction in surface area to maintain control, however it is not as extreme as the pintail. Roundpin tails have less release and create smoother, more drawn out turns. This tail can be found on a variety of boards from shortboards and hybrids to longboards.
Round Tail - This is a smoother continuation of the board's contour, coming to a rounded end. The increased surface area helps give the board a bit more lift in the rear and allows for a looser, more turnable board. These are popular on shortboards where maneuverability is key. A round tail will provide more release off the top of a wave than a squash or swallow tail, however it makes square turns off the bottom or mid face a bit more difficult without a corner to work with, such as exists on a squash or swallow tail. Round tails help direct the water around the end of the board and provide more stability in hollow, fast surf.
Squash Tail - Very responsive, the squash surfboard tail design provides all the surface and planing area of a round tail, contributing to speed and lift and helping to maintain speed in slower spots. The rounded corners provide a bit more bite and control than the round tail, and the square end allows the board to release. The corners allow for more pivotal, abrupt turns off the bottom or on the face, but will provide less release off the top. This tail design relies on the tri-fin setup to maintain control. The squash is the most popular tail for a shortboard.
Square Tail - The square tail is like the squash, but the pointed corners create more square turns with less release and more bite.
Swallow Tail - The swallow tail is related to the squash tail in that it provides more surface area from rail to rail, allowing for planing speed and lift. The tail of the board curves down to two points as in a squash, but the area between those points is decreased by a vee cutout resulting in two soft points. The decreased area between the corners and more pronounced points give the board more "bite" and control in critical maneuvers, as well as when going into and out of turns. The two points on the swallow tail act sort of like dual miniature round point tails, but without the pronounced "tracking" that a pin or rounded pin provides. The swallow tail is generally good for small waves, but it also is good for surfers who want a board that's going to stick during deep carves. Fish type surfboards tend to have a pronounced swallowtail, compensating for the wider, straighter outline which is more difficult to maneuver.
Bat Tail - (sometimes called a star tail) This is rare surfboard tail design. It's a version of the swallow tail and essentially performs the same way. Helps keep the tail wider so the rails can run straigher down the length of the board. The bat tail is essentially just a cosmetic difference, as it is extremely difficult to percieve any difference between the Bat, Diamond and Swallow. Some say that the center point of the bat tail adds a bit more stability.
Diamond Tail - The diamond tail is a lesser used tail design now that the squash tail has become more popular. The original intent of the diamond tail was to soften up the square tail but keep some of its speed.