What to know about the Outer Banks to avoid looking like a tourist

Although there is certainly no problem looking like a tourist when you’re on vacation, there are some downsides to not having access to the experience and knowledge of someone who grew up in the area.

This article will give you a wealth of knowledge about the Outer Banks that, hopefully, will improve the quality of your vacation.

First and foremost

Lightning is scary, sharks are not. OK, I’ll concede. Sharks are kind of scary, but it’s totally irrational to constantly ask the lifeguards about sharks in the water as soon as you get to the beach every day, and then take your sweet time gathering your things and getting off the beach when a big lightning storm rolls in.

Down in the Outer Banks, the weather can change at the drop of a hat. On top of this, the island itself is incredibly flat. So flat in fact, that if you’re hanging out on the beach during a particularly crazy storm, you’re essentially putting yourself into the position of a short, but very effective, lightning rod.

Lightning is a genuine risk here. In fact, just yesterday a child was struck and killed on the beach in Corolla. In comparison, so far this season, I haven’t seen a shark anywhere near the beach, let alone seen one attack a swimmer.

Wildlife

Although you’re unlikely to find any sharks on the beaches of OBX, there is certainly a lot of other wildlife you should keep an eye out for. You will find that both dolphins and stingrays are pretty common sights, and occasionally you may even be lucky enough to come face to face with one of our endangered sea turtles. Further, if you take a trip up north and drive out onto the beaches, you will find large groups of wild horses roaming the beach.

OBX is also home to a huge variety of different fish, from the lowly bait fish up through the much larger flounder and blues. You may be able to see big schools of fish, tangled together and jumping out of the water in a big concentrated bait ball. Though you will probably see people swimming and wading towards these balls, it is best to avoid doing so. Big fish can be found beneath, biting at everything they can get their mouths on.

Finally, the worst of the wildlife comes in the form of biting flies. Luckily, these flies will typically only rear their heads on days with a relatively weak offshore wind, as they are gently blown across the island from the sound. On these days, it is best to either take cover indoors or spend your entire day underwater.

The great big thermostat

The biting flies aren’t the only things affected by the changing of the winds. In fact, the water temperature itself can drastically change as the winds shift from on to offshore. When the offshore winds blow, they take the warm top level of water and push it far out into the ocean.

Deeper and much colder ocean water rises up to take its place and the temperature drops drastically. When the opposite happens and the wind blows on shore, it brings with it warm water that is cycled around the ocean by the Gulf Stream. This can take the water from a brisk 59 degrees Fahrenheit up to a tolerable 68 degrees almost overnight.

The essentials

There are a few other essentials you might want to know before you embark on your vacation. For example, in the town of Duck, none of the beaches have disabled accesses, parking to get onto any of the beaches is almost impossible unless you’re renting a house in that specific neighborhood and you should never, ever go to the Sunset Grill no matter the circumstance.

In Southern Shores, you aren’t allowed to have dogs on the beach until after 6pm every day, make sure not to dig holes that are deeper than knee height and parking for all of the beaches requires a parking pass.

Your best bet for a hassle free beach experience is to head down to Kill Devil Hills where the beaches and parking are free, but also very, very busy.

And always remember, while it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to look like a tourist, the least you can do is take all the tags off your brand new equipment.