Crystal Pier surf guide

Crystal Pier, officially known as the Oceanic Pier, is a popular surf spot located at Wrightsville Beach. While it's not as powerful as C-Street or the South End jetty, it tends to be a bit more consistent. The pier picks up various swells, including northerly windswell and SE hurricane swell, but usually shuts down once the waves hit a few feet overhead. Most of the action happens on the south side of the pier, and it can handle breaks on all tides.

The waves here range from knee-high to about 2 meters (a few feet overhead) and generally handle swell sizes from 1 to 2 meters (3 to 6 feet). There are ideal conditions for beginners, intermediate surfers, and even experts, with beach breaks that are great for different board types like shortboards, fish, funboards, and longboards. An incoming tide works best due to the wave's reforming nature, and you'll often experience wind conditions from the west, northwest, or west-northwest. You'll definitely do more paddle-jockeying than duck-diving in these crowded waters.

Parking can be tricky with limited spaces and high costs during the summer. When it comes to crowds, expect a mix of surfers from college students to locals, all trying to get their share of the waves at a pretty packed pier bowl. Collisions happen, so keep your head on a swivel. Even with the chaos, it's surprisingly mellow most of the time.