I was also wondering about the condition of the water. A few posts on here says it is bad, other say normal. We will be traveling with several teenagers, and several small children. I would hate to waste a trip with being scared to let them play. Thanks.
One more question, sorry.
As of about one month ago, that area had some severe erosion issues. No kidding, the drop off was a six foot sand wall. Not sure if the conditions have improved but you should definitely ask the realtor about this. You may even want to ask them to send you a current picture of the beach front.
If you go farther south towards the central business district, the beaches are just fine.
And unless there is a storm or low pressure off the coast, the water/wave conditions are what you would typically expect at the beach.
Best of luck and I hope you have a wonderful vacation. We moved to the island about a year ago and absolutely love it here.
One more question, sorry.
I just took a closer look (thanks to google maps) and I see that this address is very close to the pier. As the picture shows, large rocks are in place for beach erosion control. I%26#39;ve been down there a few times and although it is picturesque, it does not lend itself to being a friendly swimming area directly in front of your house. You would have to walk either south several block or up past the pier to get to sandy beach areas.
I tried to post a link to the satellite picture but it was too long and the system wouldn%26#39;t allow it.
Had luck with MSN maps:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2%26amp;cp=34.056157~-77.881823%26amp;style=a%26amp;lvl=18%26amp;tilt=-90%26amp;dir=0%26amp;alt=-1000%26amp;encType=1
Thank you. In your, or anyone%26#39;s opinion, would you go?
This was 2 years ago....Our experience with the beach itself was not very good. Short and sloped. Water was very choppy and large drop off and strong currents. The town itself was OK...and seemed they were trying to renovate a lot of the worn condos and houses. Short drive to Wilmington, which we really enjoyed.
If you ask me I would say yes as I absolutely love it here. Although the place you are looking at his some things to consider re beach access, there are nearby areas where you can easily enjoy the beach.
As for CB and Pleasure Island as a whole, it%26#39;s a wonderful place for a family vacation imo. Although it is not as upscale as places like Wrightsville, it is more laid back and much easier to get around. My wife and I enjoy riding bikes and CB is a very bike friendly town. There are ample area resturants and the nearby tourist attractions on the island shouldn%26#39;t be missed. (Acquarium, Fort Fisher, State Park hikes, CB and Kure piers, and the Ferry to Southport).
I%26#39;m originally from the DC metro area and spent many summers at Ocean City, MD. Although I enjoyed OC, I grew weary of the crowds and the congestion. It no longer felt like a vacation but instead, another commute day. But keep in mind that Carolina Beach may not be for everyone. The town is in a transition period and the future of the central business district is still to be finalized. So what that means is that there are some empty bldgs and lots in the central business district as the development future unfolds. But the town realizes that these empty areas are not the most attractive and are really doing all they can to make sure that the area is spruced up for this summer season. (If you go back a few posts, you%26#39;ll see the news article re the boardwalk area).
So all in all, if you are looking for a laid back, safe and relaxing older family beach, this will fit your needs very well. If you are looking for more of an upscale beach with consistently nicer homes throughout, you probably won%26#39;t be as happy in CB.
The town, attractions, restaurants, are all OK. It is more laid back, which is nice. The beach itself is not enjoyable because of what I mentioned above. You will find yourself standing, monitoring, and worrying about children in the water. The swimming conditions at the beach are some of the worst I have encountered.
If there is a storm or low pressure area off the coast, swimming at the beach can get tricky and areas of erosion can appear. But that is typical of most beaches in the area. I really haven%26#39;t noticed any difference in swimming at Wrightsville, Carolina Beach or Kure. When the weather is nice, so are all the beaches.
The negative about Carolina Beach is that the actual beach (sand) generally has more of a slope than Wrightsville and the actual beach sand area is thinner at CB.
BTW, here is a surfer website which shows wave conditions near the CB pier. It takes awhile for the streaming picture to appear in the blue box.
www.hotwaxsurfshop.com/mall/atlanticsurf.asp
Believe me, I have nothing against Carolina Beach, but the sloped, narrow beach, and heavy currents are not condusive to an enjoyable day at the beach.
np ncgator, it really sounds like you were unfortunate and got stuck with some lousy water conditions. But fortunately, on any given summer day, one can keep up with any potential current problems by checking these websites before heading out. If there is any activity out in the Atlantic, you%26#39;ll definitely want to keep your antenna up. Also, it is probably a good idea to talk with the lifeguard who is working at your beach.
http://www.cblifeguards.org/rip_currents.html
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ilm/beach/index.shtml
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