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UNSPOILED COASTLINE IS WATER LOVER'S PLAYGROUND As anyone who has been to the Outer Banks will tell you, there are no better beaches on the Atlantic Coast. Dr. Beach has even ranked two of the destination's beaches - Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras - in the nation's top 10. Visitors who aren't staying in one of the many oceanfront accommodations can see for themselves why people rave about the area's beaches by accessing them via one of 88 public beach accesses in Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. All offer parking, and some provide a bath house and/or shower. Driving is permitted on some areas of the beach, with limited access and some permits required. On the Beach Once on the beach, vacationers must decide in which of the many activities they'll partake - sunbathing, swimming, fishing, sandcastle building and more. Many can be found combing the shoreline for the perfect shell. The best times to look for shells are after high tide, after a storm, in the morning or during the winter months. Other vacationers hunch over piers, docks and bridges while crabbing for the area's abundant blue crabs. Easily harvested by the beachcomber, the blue crab can be caught with minimal equipment and skill. Crabs can be caught from late spring into early fall, with the best time being May, June and July. If more active water sports appeal to visitors, they can be found jet skiing, ocean and sound kayaking, diving, surfing, wind surfing, parasailing, sailing and boating. There are nine water sports operators who rent a variety of equipment and provide lessons as well as 17 water sports shops for the do-it-yourselfers. Kitty Hawk Kites (877-359-8447) offers single, double and triple parasailing rides. Windsurfing Hatteras (252-995-5000) offers a windsurfing center with a variety of equipment rentals and lessons. Nor'Banks Sailing (252-261-2900) provides rentals of flying scots, hobie cats, windriders as well as a sailing school for all ages. Visit the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau web site for a complete listing of area offerings at www.outerbanks.org Windsurfing Capital of the East Coast Because of its steady and consistent winds, temperate weather, shallow sound waters and rolling ocean waves, the Outer Banks has long been dubbed the Wind Surfing Capital of the East Coast. Wind surfers practice their craft year-round and frequent the outfitters in the area who offer lessons, clinics and equipment rental and sales. There are six operators from which to choose. Perhaps the best known is Kitty Hawks Sports (252-441-6800), featuring lessons, rentals and sales for wind surfing as well as waverunners, jet skiing, parasailing, sailboats, kayaks, surfboards, water bikes, pedal boats and bumper boats. Graveyard of the Atlantic Those who prefer being under water will marvel at the remains of more than 1,500 ships that have earned the Outer Banks' coast the fitting nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. Divers exploring the sea floor will come across a rich and varied landscape when diving on the popular shipwrecks. Several dive shops offer charters offshore for wreck diving, lessons and equipment rental. Nags Head Pro Dive Center (252-441-7594) is the oldest and only full-service dive facility in the Northern Beaches. It offers sales, rentals, air fills and PADI instruction. It also operates a custom dive boat. Diamond Shoals Dive Center (252-995 4021) is Hatteras Island's only full-service dive shop, offering charters out of Hatteras for diving and snorkeling as well as sunset cruises. Off Shore Exploration One of the best ways to enjoy the Outer Banks' beauty is from the water. Kayaking and canoeing offer visitors an affordable way to tour the area's many unchartered waterways and salt marshes while experiencing sites and sounds one would miss on shore. The destination's shallow sound waters are ideal for these sports. Novices can glide through salt marshes, explore tiny uninhabited islands or take a trip around historic Roanoke Island. Adventurers who are more experienced can ride the surf of the Atlantic Ocean or paddle past the breakers and glide along a pod of dolphin. There are 11 public launch sites for kayaks and canoes; and area outfitters offer rentals, instruction and guided eco-tours. If paddling one's own boat isn't appealing, there are 14 area operators who provide guided water tours of the area. They offer a range of site seeing cruises, from daytime harbor tours during which visitors can look for schools of dolphin and indigenous species of birds to moonlit sailings. One of the more unique cruises is A Shrimping-Crabbing Cruise ( Outer Banks Cruises, 252-473-1475), which pulls a small commercial-type shrimp net behind its boat so passengers can sort the catch and examine the fish, shrimp, crabs and other marine life that's harvested. Nags Head Dolphin Watch (252-449-8999) operates a 40-foot covered pontoon boat that spends the summer in Roanoke Sound to introduce cruisers to some of the dolphins there. Reservations are a must for this memorable trip. The Downeast Rover (252-473-4866) is a 55-foot topsail schooner that takes passengers on a two-hour sunset cruise from Roanoke Island. Those who like to ride ferries will find them on the southern end of Hatteras Island. The free ferry service that links Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands is a relaxing 40-minute trip. Ferries run year-round, but hours vary so visitors should check schedules before heading out. Ferries also run between Ocracoke and Cedar Island and between Ocracoke and Swan Quarter. Each of these trips takes approximately 2½ hours round-trip, and there is a nominal charge for the ride. Limited departure times are available. While reservations are not accepted for the free service between Hatteras and Ocracoke, they are required for the ferries from Ocracoke. For schedule information and reservations for all ferries, call (800) BY-FERRY or visit www.ncferry.org About The Outer Banks The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a chain of barrier islands midway on the Atlantic Seaboard. Surrounded by 900 miles of water, the Outer Banks has the largest estuary system in the world. The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau is a public authority and the lead marketing and promotional agency for Dare County's Outer Banks. The bureau's website offers complete details and contact information for all water activities at www.outerbanks.org |
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The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, a public authority, is the lead marketing and promotional agency for The Outer Banks of North Carolina® and is funded by 1% occupancy and 1% prepared meals tax, collected in Dare County. ©1998- 2009 Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Privacy Statement |