About Hatteras

Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo, NC

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Rodanthe is situated about 10 miles south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge, adjacent to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Waves lies directly between Rodanthe and Salvo. (Visitors – and even some locals – may have difficulty determining where Waves ends and Salvo begins.) Just south of Salvo is a 13 mile stretch of untouched National Park land.

In this area, families can enjoy a Waterfall Park, fishing pier and numerous water sports, including parasailing, kayaking, kite surfing, and windsurfing. Waves is the site of a popular public windsurfing launch area. A four-wheel-drive access to the beach and a soundside Park Service "day use area" with picnic tables, barbecue grills and a great beach with a windsurfing launch area may be found just south of Salvo.

Located on Highway 12 in the village of Rodanthe, the original lifesaving station was built in 1874 and was converted into a boathouse when the new station was built in 1911. The brave men of the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the forerunner of the Coast Guard, guarded the island's northern coast, battling raging seas to save sailors who were shipwrecked in storms. The Chicamacomico Station is one of the island's most famous and is the only one open to the public. The grounds are open all year, and the building is open during the summer months. There are also beach apparatus drills during the summer months. For more information call 252-987-1552.

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