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Kiteboarders and a wing foiler on the Pamlico Sound, Cape HatterasThe ocean beach at Waves on Hatteras IslandSunset over the Pamlico Sound at Haulover (Canadian Hole), near AvonSunset over the northern edge of Avon, North Carolina

Chapters / US East Coast Open, 1 of 1 remaining

Ride Avon and Waves, OBX, keep it open

Knee-deep water for hundreds of yards, wind most days of the year, and a whole island built around riding it. Avon and Waves are the heart of Hatteras Island's kite scene, on soundside beaches that belong to a national seashore.

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1 riders call this homeKite, Wingsalvo day use

Everything you need to know about Avon and Waves, OBX

Live conditions

Why riders love it

What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.

  • Cape Hatteras National Seashore lists Haulover (Canadian Hole), Kite Point and the Salvo Soundside access for kiteboarding.
  • The sound is ankle- to knee-deep near shore and about waist-deep farther out, for hundreds of yards.
  • Kiteable days run about 20 to 29 a month. Summer winds are mostly southwest; in fall they swing northeast, and spring and fall bring the strongest peaks.

Sources: National Park Service; OuterBanks.com; REAL Watersports

See the wind right now
The ocean beach at Waves on Hatteras Island

Access and rules

Each site sets its own rules. The chapter publishes confirmed rules as each site answers in writing, and points riders to the official page before they go.

  • The launches are day-use sites inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Overnight camping and driving on the soundside beach are not allowed.
  • Haulover's lot holds about 48 vehicles. Kite Point has its own parking lot and no facilities.
  • The Park Service warns riders to watch for power lines near the road. It does not publish kite-specific distance or launch rules on its kiteboarding page.

Sources: National Park Service; OuterBanks.com; npplan.com

Help hold the launch
Sunset over the Pamlico Sound at Haulover (Canadian Hole), near Avon

Ecology and habitat

Stewardship rotates across the city's spots, so riders are known as the people who look after them.

  • The Pamlico Sound is about 80 miles long and mostly 5 to 6 feet deep, the largest lagoon on the North American East Coast.
  • Dolphins and sea turtles are common, waterfowl nest along its shores, and the sound supports red drum, striped bass, blue crab and oysters.

Sources: Wikipedia

Fund stewardship here
Sunset over the northern edge of Avon, North Carolina

Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

  • Avon and Waves are villages on Hatteras Island in Dare County, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks between the Atlantic and the Pamlico Sound.
  • Haulover, better known as Canadian Hole, is on the sound side of Highway 12 between Avon and Buxton. Kite Point is a half mile south of it.
  • Canadian Hole got its name from windsurfers from Canada and upstate New York who started coming in the early 1980s.
  • Haulover has seasonal restrooms and outdoor showers from spring through fall. Crossing Highway 12 to the ocean side means crossing 55 mph traffic.

Sources: OuterBanks.com; OuterBanks.com; npplan.com

Meet the riders
Kiteboarders and a wing foiler on the Pamlico Sound, Cape Hatteras

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Schools that teach on this water

REAL WatersportsKitty Hawk KitesOceanAir SportsKite HatterasOuter Banks Kiting

Avon and Waves, OBX

Kiteable wind over 16 mph on 20–29 days a month, depending on the season.

Source: REAL Watersports (iKitesurf data)

Know the spot

Avon and Waves, OBX

The sound stays knee- to waist-deep for hundreds of yards from shore.

Source: OuterBanks.com

Know the spot

Avon and Waves, OBX

Three soundside kite launches: Haulover, Kite Point, Salvo

Source: National Park Service

Know the spot

Why Avon and Waves, OBX needs a chapter

Kiteboarders and a wing foiler on the Pamlico Sound, Cape Hatteras
US East Coast

Hatteras Island sits between the open Atlantic and the Pamlico Sound, the largest lagoon on the East Coast. The sound side is shallow for hundreds of yards and gets wind almost all year, which is why windsurfers found Canadian Hole in the early 1980s and kiters followed.

1riders call this home
5local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Avon and Waves, OBX chapter, World Wind Sports

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The ocean beach at Waves on Hatteras Island
US East Coast

Today the villages of Avon, Salvo, Waves and Rodanthe are full of kite shops, schools and riders. The launches themselves are small soundside access points inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with limited parking, and the park has its own rules for every beach.

1riders call this home
5local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Avon and Waves, OBX chapter, World Wind Sports

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Sunset over the Pamlico Sound at Haulover (Canadian Hole), near Avon
US East Coast

A chapter gives the riders who depend on those launches one voice with the Park Service, runs cleanups and stewardship days on the sound, and keeps visiting riders trained to the standard the local schools already hold.

1riders call this home
5local schools teach on this water
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Avon and Waves, OBX chapter, World Wind Sports

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Photographer credits Back this chapter

The riders, schools and crew of Avon and Waves, OBX

Riders from Waves, Rodanthe, Salvo, Buxton, Hatteras, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board
RREAL WatersportsLocal school teaching on this waterKKitty Hawk KitesLocal school teaching on this waterOOceanAir SportsLocal school teaching on this waterKKite HatterasLocal school teaching on this waterOOuter Banks KitingLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.RREAL WatersportsLocal school teaching on this waterKKitty Hawk KitesLocal school teaching on this waterOOceanAir SportsLocal school teaching on this waterKKite HatterasLocal school teaching on this waterOOuter Banks KitingLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.
iSportsKite, WingiWind spotsalvo day use iKnow thisAvon and Waves on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, along the Pamlico Sound.iKnow thisKiteable wind on 20 to 29 days a month, with ankle- to waist-deep water near shore.iKnow thisKite launches at Haulover, Kite Point and Salvo are run by Cape Hatteras National Seashore.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotsalvo day use iKnow thisAvon and Waves on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, along the Pamlico Sound.iKnow thisKiteable wind on 20 to 29 days a month, with ankle- to waist-deep water near shore.iKnow thisKite launches at Haulover, Kite Point and Salvo are run by Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Avon and Waves, OBX

Full forecast

Fund this chapter. You can too.

Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.

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