Hurricane Erin Brings Rare Surf Event to US East Coast

The once-in-a-blue-moon windfall brought waves that reached 10 to 14 feet. ‘Today was the best,’ said one North Carolina surfer.

Jack Moore (L) and Owen Mohr prepare to surf near Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier on Emerald Isle, N.C., on Aug. 20, 2025. T.J. Muscaro/The Epoch Times

EMERALD ISLE, N.C.—It was a week of waves that surfers of North Carolina said they prayed for.

From Aug. 18 to 21, the surfers on Emerald Isle were faced with waves doubling and tripling the size of their usual swell that arrived in groups called “sets.” Each wave followed the other by a matter of seconds, and each set followed by a matter of minutes—often providing the only window for surfers to paddle from the shore.