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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Surfers and Surf Watchers Give Ernesto Mixed Review

Closed businesses along Carolina Beach's boardwalk as Ernesto washes in.
Closed businesses along Carolina Beach's boardwalk as Ernesto washes in.

By Megan V. Williams

Carolina Beach, NC – Surfers and locals pretty much had Pleasure Island to themselves Thursday as the region's beach towns waited for Ernesto's arrival. But for most of the day, the storm was a disappointment. By mid-afternoon, the beach was almost empty, a sight that surprised Carolina Beach resident Judy Burford, who was hoping to catch her first hurricane.

"I figured there'd be people out on the beach, watching the ocean like they always do, but there's nobody there."

Surfer Travis Nimers said the waves could have been better, although that didn't stop him and a friend from spending several hours in the surf.

"Yeah, they're pretty choppy, but they're pretty big, too. You can get some decent little rides off of them, but they're not really coming in sets."

A bartender on the Carolina Beach boardwalk said she hasn't had a customer all day and that it looks like Ernesto may wash out the final weekend of an already-slow summer.