OBX Tide Charts — Today’s Tides for the Outer Banks
Free OBX tide charts, tide tables and daily tide schedules — predicted high and low tide times and heights based on NOAA harmonic constants, plus interactive tide curve charts for the North Carolina Outer Banks. Check today’s tides from Duck and Kitty Hawk down through Nags Head, Oregon Inlet, Hatteras, and Ocracoke.
Interactive Tide Chart
All times shown are Eastern Time (US/Eastern, observing daylight saving). Chart uses a simplified harmonic model (M2, S2, N2, K1, O1) calibrated to published NOAA tidal constants for each station. For official navigation use, consult tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov.
About Outer Banks Tides
The Outer Banks experience semi-diurnal tides — two high tides and two low tides each day, roughly 12 hours and 25 minutes apart. The average tidal range along the oceanfront is about 3 feet. Tidal range is largest on the open oceanfront and smallest inside the inlets and sounds — often under 1 foot. What the inlets do have is powerful tidal currents, which is why timing matters most for boaters there. Use our OBX tide tables and tide schedules above to check today’s tide times for your beach before you head out.
Sound-side tides (Pamlico Sound, Roanoke Sound, Currituck Sound) behave very differently from the ocean. They are dominated by wind, not the moon — a strong northeast wind can push water out of the sound for days, dropping water levels well below normal, while a hard southwest wind piles water up against the barrier islands.
Tide Stations Covered
Duck, NC
NOAA 8651370 — Mean range 3.2 ftOregon Inlet Marina
Basnight Bridge / Oregon Inlet Fishing Center area — Mean range 0.9 ft — sound sideUSCG Hatteras
NOAA 8654467 — Mean range 0.5 ft — sound side — Hatteras Village harbor. For surf and beach-driving timing, use the Cape Hatteras (ocean) predictions instead.Ocracoke (Silver Lake), station 8654792 — sound side
Mean range 1.0 ftNags Head / Jennette’s Pier
Oceanfront — Mean range 3.1 ftRodanthe (oceanfront)
Estimated range ~3.0–3.2 ft, interpolated between Duck and Cape Hatteras. Nearest NOAA gauge (Rodanthe, Pamlico Sound) reads the sound side only.Why Tides Matter on the OBX
Surf fishing: The hours bracketing high tide and the start of the outgoing tide are most productive on most OBX beaches, especially around sloughs and cuts. Boating & inlets: Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet can be dangerous on strong outgoing tides against an opposing wind — slack tide is safest. Beachcombing & shelling: The hour after low tide reveals the widest beach and the most shells, particularly after a storm or full moon. Kiteboarding & paddleboarding: Sound-side conditions are best at higher water levels with steady cross-shore wind.
Driving the beach? Tides decide your window.
On the 4x4 beaches north of Corolla and down at Cape Hatteras, the drivable sand shrinks at high tide and opens up at low. Check the chart above before you air down — and if you still need a vehicle, rent a beach-ready 4x4 from Beach4x4 with permits and recovery gear included.
Tide charts by location
Pick the gauge closest to where you fish, surf, drive, or boat. Each page shows an interactive 3-day tide chart, today’s next high and low, and location-specific tips.
Corolla
Northern Outer Banks — 4x4 beaches
Tide-dependent beach driving north of the paved road, into Carova.
View Corolla tide chart →Carova
4x4-only beach north of Corolla
Wild horse territory — permit and tide-window driving only.
View Carova tide chart →Duck
NOAA 8651370 / Range ~3.2 ft
FRF Pier. The northernmost open-Atlantic gauge and the OBX reference station.
View Duck tide chart →Kitty Hawk
Northern Outer Banks
Just south of Southern Shores on the northern beaches.
View Kitty Hawk tide chart →Kill Devil Hills
Central Outer Banks
Central OBX beaches near the Wright Brothers Memorial.
View Kill Devil Hills tide chart →Nags Head
Sub-station of Duck / Range ~3.1 ft
Central OBX beaches, Jennettes Pier, Kitty Hawk to South Nags Head.
View Nags Head tide chart →Coquina Beach
Bodie Island
Popular swimming beach just south of Nags Head.
View Coquina Beach tide chart →Oregon Inlet
NOAA 8652587 / Range ~0.9 ft — sound side
The most current-driven gauge on the OBX. Critical for inlet boating and Pea Island fishing.
View Oregon Inlet tide chart →Rodanthe
Hatteras Island
Northernmost Hatteras Island village, near the Rodanthe pier.
View Rodanthe tide chart →Avon
Sub-station of Hatteras (sound-side gauge) / Range ~0.5 ft — ocean surf ~3 ft
Avon Pier and the long stretch from Salvo to Cape Point.
View Avon tide chart →Buxton
Cape Hatteras
Near Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Cape Point.
View Buxton tide chart →Frisco
Hatteras Island
Between Buxton and Hatteras Village on Hatteras Island.
View Frisco tide chart →Hatteras
NOAA 8654467 / Range ~0.5 ft — sound side
USCG Station Hatteras — sound side, Hatteras Village harbor. For surf and beach-driving timing, use Cape Hatteras (ocean) predictions instead.
View Hatteras tide chart →Ocracoke
NOAA 8654792 / Range ~1.0 ft — sound side
Ocracoke (Silver Lake), station 8654792 — sound side. Tides for the village and the Ocracoke beaches and inlet.
View Ocracoke tide chart →Hatteras Inlet
Boating & ferry crossing
Current timing and safe-crossing guide for the inlet and ferry route.
View Hatteras Inlet tide chart →More OBX Tide Resources
Outer Banks Tides — FAQ
How many high tides per day does the Outer Banks have?
The OBX experiences semi-diurnal tides: two highs and two lows roughly every 24 hours and 50 minutes. Each tide cycle is about 12 hours and 25 minutes apart, so the tide shifts by roughly 50 minutes each day.
What is the tide range on the Outer Banks?
Mean ocean-side tide range is about 3.2 ft at Duck (northern OBX). On the ocean beaches the range stays close to 3 feet down the island chain — but about 1 foot or less at the sound-side gauges in Hatteras Village and Ocracoke’s Silver Lake. Sound-side ranges are much smaller and dominated by wind.
What tide is best for surf fishing on the OBX?
The last two hours of a falling tide into the first hour of the rising tide is the classic OBX surf fishing window. Moving water concentrates bait against the bars and predators ambush from the sloughs behind. Read our full OBX surf fishing guide.
Do I need a permit to drive on OBX beaches?
It depends on the beach. Cape Hatteras National Seashore requires an ORV permit year-round. Corolla/Carova requires no permit to drive (the seasonal permit there covers beach parking). Nags Head sells its own permits for its October–April driving season. Check the specific town’s rules before you go. See our OBX beach driving permits guide.
Where are the NOAA tide stations on the Outer Banks?
The primary OBX NOAA tide stations are Duck FRF Pier (8651370), Oregon Inlet Marina (8652587), Hatteras (8654467), and Ocracoke Silver Lake (8654792).