Since 2020, a total of 31 homes have collapsed into the ocean in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, according to the National Park Service.
And while the coastal erosion has been well-documented, not to mention heart-wrenching for the denizens of the OBX – with many homes captured on camera falling into the sea – the region remains one of the foremost surfing zones on the east coast.
One resident, Brett Barley, is perhaps the biggest surf star to come out of the Outer Banks. He’s witnessed the carnage to his beloved homeland, documented it, and attempted to describe the feelings that this destruction has on the locals. And recently, after a few houses were swallowed by the sea this year alone, Barley paddled out amidst the debris.
“The waves are good…but there’s debris on the beach,” Barley wrote. “Some days clearly aren’t worth it, some days you can calculate the risk. This day I thought we were totally good until a piling drifted out into the lineup. I had scouted the area like crazy for an hour at dawn to make sure there was no debris, and I saw nothing…But we’re in crazy times here on Hatteras Island and got unpleasantly surprised. Also, I shot a lot of wild footage during the recent winter storm, and scored a few days of freezing cold waves, so stay tuned!”
Related: 20ft Storm Surf Collapses House in North Carolina: ‘The World Is Ending’ (Video)
Like Barley said, the waves certainly were good. Classic North Carolina peaks, unloading on the sand-bottomed shores, pitching tubes, corners up and down the beach.
But like he mentioned, there were dangers that came with the session – specifically large hunks of wood floating through the lineup, capable of taking out unlucky surfers. Fortunately, however, they floated the piling out to sea, and nobody got hurt.
“It wasn’t the smartest call to surf that day,” Barley admitted. “But it was the best spot that session. I don’t regret it. Maybe wasn’t the brightest. This zone has mostly been off-limits. It is what it is. Looking forward to post-summer, and hopefully we can put all this behind us. For now, we have to face the winter storms coming.”
Fingers crossed for the OBX.
Related: Large Surf Swallows 4 Houses in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (Video)
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