Definitely one of the highlights of summer is after a few days of no breeze or a slight breeze from the East, the visibility clears up and makes snorkeling off the Outer Banks beach, excellent. Snorkeling and kayaking are some of the highlights of an Outer Banks vacation. If you enjoy both, why not bring your snorkel set, kayaking or try your hand at spearfishing. This is a great video of a local guy spearfishing a triggerfish. This is about as good as the visiblity gets.

This is a great video of a local guy spearfishing a triggerfish. This is about as good as the visiblity gets.

Why is the Water in the Outer Banks so Cold?

That is the question that has crossed many people’s lips on the Outer Banks in the last couple days. A couple days of winds out of the west have left the ocean water of the beaches of the OBX in the low 60’s. AS of this morning the Duck FRF, was showing temperatures of 61. The winds effect is known as upwelling. Upwelling occurs in the Outer Banks when the winds from the west blow the warm surface watere back and it is replaced by the colder water underneath. For a more complete explanation here is is explain by 2 scientist from NOAA.

Winds powerfully affect the oceans and are an important force in creating currents. From global circulation of entire oceans to microscopic patterns of turbulence, winds move water and its resident animals and plants in complex and interesting patterns.

When the wind blows parallel to the coastline, an intriguing and biologically important event occurs. Affected by the rotation of the earth, winds can move water at right angles to the direction the wind is blowing, a phenomenon known as the Coriolis effect. Along a coastline oriented North-South, like much of the west coast of the U.S., winds that blow from the north tend to drive ocean surface currents to the right of the wind direction, thus pushing surface waters offshore. As surface waters are pushed offshore, water is drawn from below to replace them. The upward movement of this deep, colder water is called upwelling.

A rare find, starfish occasionally wash ashore after a storm. Sometimes you will find a complete, 5-limbed starfish, and other times just a portion with a few legs. If they have washed ashore, they are most likely dead, but will still be soft. If you want to preserve them to bring home, you should lay them outside in the sun to dry out and harden, otherwise they will end up smelling later on down the road.
An interesting thing about starfish, is that they feed on shellfish. Sometimes while locating a shell you will see tiny holes in the shell. These are from either a starfish or sea snail suctioning to the outside of that shell and prying it open and boring inside to reach the flesh.

By: Christina Calvino

Playing in the sand with the kids and taking relaxing walks on the beach with your significant other can result in some pretty cool finds. But, if you are not familiar with a coastal life or sea creatures, you will probably end up asking yourself a few times “what the heck is this thing?”

Shells:

There are a wide variety of seashells that can be found on the Outer Banks’ beaches. Most are half-shells of shellfish creatures like clams, scallops, oysters and mussels. An unusual clam shell find are the slender, long halves, from razor clams. They look like really long, artificial fingernails.
The purple and white shell pieces you’ll find in abundance are wampum, from quahogs, used for trade by Native Americans. Not as common as they once were, you can occasionally find some conch shells. These are the spiral shells people usually hold to their ear to “hear” the ocean in.

By: Christina Calvino

Chances are, if you are planning a vacation to the Outer Banks, you will find yourself soaking up rays, squishing sand between your toes and playing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Following are a few tips and terms one should learn to ensure your visit to the Outer Banks is a safe one.

Rip currents are the most common threat to swimmers. The United States Lifesaving Association accounts over 80% of ocean rescues to swimmers caught in rip currents. They also estimate rip currents cause about 100 deaths per year, so please remember that they have the potential to be deadly. A trained eye can spot a rip current on the shore. The best way I could describe it is a V shaped pull in the shorebreak waves as they recede. There might also be a small difference in the look and color of the water.
If in doubt, always ask a lifeguard. Most lifeguard stands have a chalkboard highlighting the day’s high and low tides, air temperature, water temperature and any warnings. These might include high winds, rip currents, jellyfish or anything else the guards on duty feel concerned about. Swimming near a lifeguard is your safest bet, as the U.S. Lifesaving Association calculates the chance of a person drowning on a lifeguard-protected beach is 1 in about 18 million.
If you do find yourself caught in a rip current, do not panic. I, personally, have been caught in one and survived to tell you about it. Remain calm and swim parallel to the shore. Do not fight the current by trying to swim straight back to shore, even though this is the instinctual thing to do. The current’s pull is straight out, so swimming against it will only exhaust you. Swimming parallel to the shore to escape is still tiring, but manageable. If you cannot break free, or feel yourself getting too tired, notify someone on shore. You can do this by waving your arms above your head and/or shouting “Help!” Only use these safety procedures in serious situations. It is unsafe to alert a lifeguard’s attention when not necessary or for a joke.

The U.S. Coast Guard practices a Coastal Warning Display, through flags or lights to warn beach goers and small crafts. The flags are flown on a tall flag post, usually at a beach entrance. The lights are used at night, mainly at boat stations. The most commonly used display is a single red flag, which signifies a storm or high wind warning. The flag is either solid red in color, or has a black rectangle in the center. When red flags are flying, do not enter the water. The U.S. Coast Guard and local lifeguards have decided it is a danger and you are swimming at your own risk. Sometimes, violation tickets are issued for those disobeying the flags. During a hurricane, two red and black combination flags are flown together on the flag post, one on top of another. Again, do not enter the water, it is unsafe.
The Outer Banks’ beaches are patrolled by lifeguards Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Their website, http://www.outer-banks.com/visitor-info/safety.asp lists the entrances lifeguard stands can be found at and the hours lifeguards are on active duty. In addition to the stands, most beaches have roaming patrol watches using lifeguard SUV vehicles and small ATVs. These vehicles travel up and down some beaches. If you notice them approaching please do not cross in front of their path and pay attention to children’s whereabouts.

By remembering to stay close to a lifeguard, pay attention to their signs and heed any warnings, you can enjoy a safe beach vacation like millions of other yearly beach goers. Don’t forget the sunscreen, either!

This is a great video of the horses in Corolla.

The WRV sponsored 2008 Battle of the Banks, put surfers from Virginia Beach head to head with surfers from the Outer Banks.

Battle of the Banks Video:

After about a week straight of winds coming out of the North and Northeast, a Nor’Easter has developed off the coast of the Outer Banks and is delivering gusts of wind and heavy rain. Nor’easter ’s are known to bring heavy rain and in the winter for Northern states, heavy snows and blizzards. Should be a wet day on the OBX, but still in the seventies.

What is a Nor’easter

Nor’easter: Common contraction for northeaster, a northeast wind often blowing at gale or storm speeds. Also refers to a type of storm moving up the North American Atlantic coast which is first felt as a northeast wind and it moves northward.

Beach Nourishment is definitely one of the most polarizing issues on the Outer Banks. Many local residents can be found on either side of the fence on this issue. The Nags Head Board was given an update from the Coastal Science Engineers (CSE). The projected cost is $35 million. Already over $467,000 has been spent on the project with no results. I guess we will have to wait and see what will happen with the project.

Whether you love or hate beach nourishment, feel free to comment. We would love to hear both sides of the argument.

With the soaring prices of gas early in the summer, renewed interest was brought into drilling off the coast of North Carolina. The area affected would run along the Outer Banks. As you can imagine, many visitors and locals alike are much against the drilling. Lorraine Ahearn makes some good points in her article in the news-record.com. One of the most valid points she makes is with regards to the weather that affects the Outer Banks. The area off the Outer Banks is known as The Graveyard of the Atlantic for a reason. Vicious Nor’easters are known to tear up the coast of the Outer Banks. It is not hard to imagine that this same weather would possibly lead to oil spills. Guess we will have to wait and see what the outcome is. I can’t imagine anyone looks forward to spending a day on an oil stained beach.

Sinking Offshore Oil Rig: