Tides & Towns
Outer Banks · NC

Hatteras and Ocracoke

The southern Outer Banks, home of the tallest brick lighthouse in the country.

Hatteras Island
About 50 miles of beach
Ocracoke population
797 (2020 census)
National seashore
The first in the U.S., 1953
Tides
Two highs, two lows, uneven

Then

  1. 1718

    On November 22, Blackbeard (Edward Teach) is killed at Ocracoke in a battle with forces sent from Virginia.

  2. 1823

    The Ocracoke Light begins its run of continuous operation.

  3. 1861

    In August, Union forces capture the Confederate forts guarding Hatteras Inlet and hold the island for the rest of the war.

  4. 1871

    The Cape Hatteras Light is first lit on December 16. At about 198 feet, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States.

  5. 1940s

    German submarines sink ships offshore during World War II. British sailors who wash ashore are buried in Ocracoke's British Cemetery.

  6. 1953

    Cape Hatteras National Seashore is established on January 12, the first national seashore in the country.

  7. 1963

    The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge opens across Oregon Inlet. Its replacement, named for Senator Marc Basnight, opens in 2019.

  8. 1999

    With the ocean closing in, the Cape Hatteras Light is moved 2,900 feet to the southwest.

Now

Hatteras Island's seven villages, Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras, sit within the national seashore. Hatteras Village calls itself the Blue Marlin Capital of the World.

Ocracoke has no bridge. It is reached by ferry, private boat or small plane, and some islanders still speak the local “Hoi Toider” brogue.

Hundreds of shipwrecks along this coast gave it the name Graveyard of the Atlantic. Today's tide here comes from NOAA's station at the Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier, on the ocean side.

On the water

From NOAA's predictions for Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier, NC over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).

Pattern
Two highs and two lows a day, one noticeably bigger than the other
Typical daily range
3.4 ft
Biggest swing
5.1 ft on Dec 25
Smallest swing
1.7 ft on Apr 26
Highest high
4.5 ft, Nov 25 at 7:15 AM
Lowest low
−0.9 ft, Jan 23 at 1:08 AM

Tide stations around Hatteras and Ocracoke

Sources