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| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton |
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Driving still farther south, the East Coast's once-mighty, striped surfing beacon known as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse becomes visible. There are a couple of breaks upon immediately entering Buxton that hold their own brand of aquatic magnificence, and you'll have to find them yourself, or you can go straight to the Light, er, uh, where the Lighthouse used to be.
There are three groins here. On a solid south, the third groin can produce some heavy sweeping rights, while between the groins several peaks pop up to produce more short-lived thrills. The ESA Championships are held here every fall and usually run off the first groin, as its chunky, peeling lefts have shown the most consistency over the years. North swells wrap nicely around the point, and autumn usually tosses its fair share of those -- conveniently enough to coincide with the ESA Championships. However, while the traditional Lighthouse location has enjoyed the spotlight for years, locals maintain that the place doesn't break even remotely like it used to, and beach renourishment efforts have destroyed a spot that was doomed from the beginning.
Aside from being highly overrated, Lighthouse is also the most ridiculously kook-infested beach on the Outer Banks, where "extreme" Arkansas kids come to surf, and their parents watch from the water. The wave is rarely so much better than everywhere else that it's worth spilling some clueless blood. So you gotta ask yourself: is milking that reform really worth the risk of taking out seven tourists on the inside? OK, bad question. Still, you can't explore the Outer Banks without swinging through for a quick gander. C'mon, it's the Lighthouse -- you gotta at least look at it.
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low to mid
S off the third groin, N off the first
overhead
W, NW
6
sand, sandbags, rocks and whatever else they used in an attempt to hold that thing up for the last several decades
anything goes, except during easterns
sense of humor
late summer to early winter
The traditional Lighthouse location offers several packed parking lots.
You've never seen so many different license plates in your life.
Hairy. These guys can be straight-up dicks. You'll know who they are; the true locals make themselves known by being as vocal as possible. You have to remember, most of these guys haven't been able to surf a wave to themselves at the Lighthouse for the past 10 or 15 years.
7. You'll be doing a lot of zigzagging in the lineup.
3. Kiddy pee, cig butts, sandwich bags, soda cans -- ah, to be an American tourist at one of our great national landmarks.
The concentration of jellies, crabbies, stingers, suckers and biters is higher here than anywhere else on the Banks, and frontal activity is so extreme that a sunny day can turn into the Sorcerer's Apprentice's worst nightmare in seconds.
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While the drive from Pea Island to Frisco can take a couple of hours during summer, you're only gonna go as far as the waves take you, and there's a good spot to grub at every stop. First up is Mac Midgett's Island Convenience located right on Highway 12 next to Rodanthe Surf Shop. If you're not grubbing at Mac's between sessions, then you're not a surfer. This is where everybody who's anybody sits down, catches a meal and talks story with other surfers -- local and alien. Stay away from the pizza slices and onion rings, but feel free to go crazy on the homemade sandwiches. For a real restaurant in the Rodanthe vicinity, Down Under (252-987-2277) is attached to the pier, and the Froggy Dog (252-995-4106) is farther south in Avon. Cruise by the Red Drum on Buxton's main drag for a day's worth of supplies, and for Frisco, there is only one choice: Bubba's Barbecue (252-995-5421).
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To guarantee a fun and cheap vacay, you're better off staying in town to enjoy the full range of flat-spell party options, especially since lodging down south is almost entirely restricted to big-bucks beach rentals, tiny motels or a tent. For those who don't want the advice, call Dare County Tourist Bureau (252-473-2138) for camping info throughout the year. Here's a quick rundown of camping options moving north to south: before you even cross the bridge, there's Oregon Inlet Campground (800-365-CAMP), followed by the North Beach Campground (252-987-2378) near Rodanthe and the Cape Hatteras KOA Campground (252-987-2307) in Waves. There's a campground next to the Lighthouse ( www.americanparks.com/parklist/nccape.htm) for the more sentimental, as well as several Frisco options. Call Cape Point Campground at Frisco (800-365-CAMP) or Frisco Woods Campground (252-995-5208), but Cape Woods Campground is the place (252-995-5850).
For a cheaper room, try Buxton's Surf Motel (252-995-5785), which is run by the ESA, or one of several others in the area, including the Avon Motel (252-995-5774), the Village at the Hatteras Marlin Hotel (252-986-2141) and the Seaside Inn at Hatteras (252-986-2700). Other options are available at www.hatteras-nc.com. Or, if your daddy makes bank and you want a nice house for the week, call Cove Realty at 800-635-7007.
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Perhaps the only person happier than a Hatteras surfer is a Hatteras fisherman. The Gulf Stream lies only 12 miles away, and this area is known as the "Gamefish Junction of the East," where northern and southern species of fish meet, including bass, bluefish, king mackerel, blue marlin, tuna and dolphin. Oregon Inlet is the principal passage to the Pamlico Sound, and the Fishing Center's (www.oregon-inlet.com) many charters offer some of the best Gulf Stream sport fishing in the East. If you have a handful of folks, you can enjoy a day of epic adventure for about $100 each. Also, if you make it to Frisco, do not leave without stopping by the Frisco Native American Museum ( http://hatteras-nc.com/NAM, 252-995-4440), where you can learn a lot about the history of Hatteras Island while viewing strikingly interesting native artifacts from pre-colonial North Carolina. Admission is free, but be a sport and drop a donation in the box by the door. Check out www.hatteras-nc.comfor more options.
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Waiting for you the second you leave Pea Island, Rodanthe Surf Shop (252-987-2412) is owned by hardcore locals Randy Hall and Debbie Bell and is the longstanding north post, while Scott Busbey's Natural Art Surf Shop (252-9955682) remains Buxton's second biggest landmark. In between there's other options like Ocean Roots (252-995-3369) and Hatteras Wind and Surf (252-995-6275), both in Avon, and Fox Watersports (252-995-4372) in Buxton.
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