Summer Duck - Rodanthe, OBX

05/14/2025

05/12/2025

💧⚠️This month is all about water safety and as the beach season begins to kick off, we’d like to remind our visitors of the presence of rip currents.

What is a rip current? Underwater sandbars often develop offshore forming a trough of water between the bar and the beach. Rip currents form when the sand bar breaks and the trapped water funnels out to the sea through the break, sometimes sweeping swimmers with it.

Did you know that most fatalities from rip currents occur when risk is low to moderate? This tells us that, no matter the surf conditions, there is ALWAYS a risk for a rip current to develop.

How can you keep you and your family safe? Before heading to the beach, be sure to check out the daily NOAA Rip Current Hazard Forecast (a link to which is provided at the webpage below), spend some time watching waves for patterns and deep-water areas, and know your options should you find yourself caught in a rip current:

▪️Remain calm.
▪️Do not swim against the current.
▪️Swim across the current, parallel to the shore.
▪️Slowly work your way back to the beach at an angle.
▪️Signal for help if you need it.

Where are the safest places to swim at Cape Hatteras National Seashore? That would be at our five lifeguarded beaches open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day from 9:00am to 5:00pm:

▪️Coquina Beach
▪️Frisco Beach
▪️Ocracoke Beach
▪️Old Lighthouse Beach
▪️Rodanthe Beach Access

For more information about swimming safety, visit our website at the following link:
🔗https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/swimming-safely.htm

Check out our partner, Love the Beach, Respect the Ocean, for even more tips about beach and swimming safety:
🔗https://www.lovethebeachrespecttheocean.com/

📸National Weather Service / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

05/06/2025

Yesterday we had Cinco de Mayo at Summer Duck!!! My husband made us steak and shrimp fajitas with local NC shrimp from Alex’s Shrimp Shack in Salvo! He also made us Paloma’s! I made homemade guacamole and a remoulade sauce for the fajitas! We have everything you need to cook at great meal at the house! 😋

05/06/2025

We arrived on Saturday to do a few last minute things before our first renters the end of the month! The pool water feels warm already!! 🩵

05/06/2025

Storm clouds rolling in on Sunday!!! 💦🌧️💨🌊

05/06/2025

There was a gorgeous sunset the other night all the way around the sky!!! 🧡🌅🧡

04/28/2025

Story courtesy National Weather Service This week is Carolinas Rip Current Awareness Week, as the National Weather Service offices in Charleston, South Carolina, Wilmington, Newport/Morehead City, and Wakefield, Virginia, are […]

04/23/2025

NWS to promote Rip Current Awareness Week April 27 through May 3 https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/nws-to-promote-rip-current-awareness-week-april-27-through-may-3/

04/02/2025

NEWS RELEASE: Bodie Island Lighthouse opens for daily climbing April 18, 2025

The Bodie Island Lighthouse will be open for daily climbing from Friday, April 18 through Oct. 13, 2025.

Climbing tickets go on sale at 7 a.m. and may only be purchased on the same day of your intended climb. Tickets are only available for purchase at http://www.recreation.gov/ticket/252034/ticket/10087143.

Pro tip: Create your www.recreation.gov account prior to the date you intend to purchase tickets. Learn more about climbing lighthouses at http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/lighthouseclimbs.htm.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse climbing opportunities are not available this year, due to ongoing restoration efforts.

News Release link: https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/news/bodie-island-lighthouse-opens-for-daily-climbing-april-18-2025.htm

📸View from the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

04/01/2025

NO APRIL FOOLS – LIGHTS REALLY DO FOOL SEA TURTLES!

Sea turtle hatchlings use the moon and stars to find their way to the ocean. But artificial lights from buildings, streets, and even flashlights can confuse them, leading them in the wrong direction-away from the water and towards danger.

Here’s how you can help:
🔹 Turn off or shield outside lights near the beach.
🔹 Close curtains or blinds at night.
🔹 Use red LED lights on the beach if you must have light.
🔹 Avoid the use of bright flashlights or camera flashes on the beach.

Protect the journey. Keep beaches dark. Let hatchlings find their way home. 🌊

Remember, if you visit the beach, never go near a sea turtle or shine lights on them at night, and please, when you leave,
KEEP THE BEACH:
-CLEAN
(remove all beach toys, chairs, tents, etc. & pick up trash on beach - yours and any other);
-FLAT
(take down sandcastles and fill holes before you leave for the evening); and
-DARK
(turn off Oceanfront lights at night)!
And don't forget:
If you're in the northern Outer Banks and accidentally hook a sea turtle, or see a sea turtle on the beach or crawl tracks in the sand, please immediately call the NEST hotline:
252-441-8622!
This conservation work for protected sea turtles in the northern Outer Banks is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit ).

03/31/2025

The pier has been repaired, Winter is gone, the beach is back, fish are moving north, and the pier will open Saturday, April 5 at 7am. Can't wait to see all our friends again. It has been a long winter as we have been closed for nearly 6 months and we can hardly wait to open. So, come on down and catch the first fish of the year!