There have been some tough conditions for the surfers at the WRV OBX Pro Surf competition at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head.
In what is an almost unheard of happening the first day of competition, Wednesday, had to be postponed because the ocean was flat. Absolutely no waves.
Even when completion resumed the waves have been small with the break close to shore. But the competitors are pro surfers, and they have been showing it working short rides into some pretty spectacular scoring.
The small waves certainly seem to favor some of the East Coast pros—especially the surfers from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. There’s still two days of completion left, but the small wave conditions seen today seemed to favor the surfers who grew up in surfing the small waves.
The WRV OBX Pro is an annual event that brings an international flavor to the Outer Banks. Most of the competitors are from the Untied States, but there are also Japanese, a number of European nations on hand, some Caribbean surfers as well as Central and South American competitors.
last year conditions were very different, although the Atlantic Ocean wasn’t making it easy they either. The 2021 competition featured strong onshore winds with 6’ waves breaking about 75-100 yards offshore. The wave size was what surfers look for, but the strong onshore winds created a lot of chop in the water making it a real challenge for the surfers.
With surfers much closer to the beach this year—they were only 15- 20 yards away—it was certainly better for spectators. Every move, every nuance the competitors used could be seen immediately by the fans lining the beach.
It was clear there were family and friends in the crowd cheering every time a favorite surfer caught air.
So yes, conditions were tough, but it probably was better for the spectators.
Fall is a great time on the Outer Banks. Experience it for yourself while staying in a Brindley Beach Vacations home.