"Immersion in Desolation," by photographer Bruce Walker, ran in January 1970 issue of Surfing magazine; it is likely the first article ever published on wave-riding on the Outer Banks. This version has been shortened and edited.

North Carolina's Outer Banks have been the scene of quite a bit of United States history. Sir Walter Raleigh’s famous "Lost Colony” was settled in the northern area of the Outer Banks. The legendary pirate Blackbeard (who wasn’t a legend at all, but a real person) sailed the waters around Cape Hatteras, and many tales of buried treasure abound in the area. The USS 

, a Civil War ironclad ship, less than a year after its famous encounter with the Confederate ship 

, sunk off Cape Hatteras after being swamped by giant waves. On a cold winter morning in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first airplane at Kitty Hawk. During World Wars II, German U-boats torpedoed and sank 75 U.S. vessels off the coast of the outer banks, including some oil tankers. In fact, oil still floats in the waters around the Cape from those ill-fated ships. Over 500 ships have gone down along the Outer Banks, also known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic,” because of sandbars, huge waves, and storms.

The Outer Banks stretch from the North Carolina-Virginia state line 125 miles south to Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The area that surfers are mainly interested in is the 60-miles stretch between Kitty Hawk and Cape Hatteras. The beaches north of Kitty Hawk and south of Hatteras Island are relatively uninhabited and unexplored surf-wise.

The areas around Kitty Hawk, Nags Head and Cape Hatteras have been fully explored and their surfing potential has been realized. Every knowledgeable surfer on the East Coast knows about the great surf of the Outer Banks and yet crowds and publicity are at a minimum. It is interesting to note that photos of Cape Hatteras have never appeared in any surfing publication at any time. It’s about time one of the East’s finest spots gets recognized.

The main surfing area in Nags Head is the Nags Head Fishing Pier. It's seldom crowded and often good. At Cape Hatteras, the main breaks are at the Lighthouse, which is also a great place for surf photography (it’s the tallest lighthouse in the United States), a spot one mile north of the Lighthouse, and a left point break just south of Hatteras Point. About five miles south of the Cape is a spot called Frisco which gets good waves but absorbs most of the crowds.

At Hatteras, most surfers stay in vans and tents at the Cape campgrounds, but there are also a few motels nearby for those who don’t like to rough it. During the summer months, from June 1st to Labor Day, the camping fee is $1.00 per night. At all other times of the year, camping is free. Compared to Nags Head, there isn’t much nightlife at Hatteras but the good waves make up for it. There are occasional wild beach parties, though, if you like wild beach parties.

Hatteras will take a swell from any direction. The surf could be six feet with offshore winds on the north side of the Cape, and two-foot onshore slop on the south side, or vice-versa.

There are unused and unrestricted waves all along the 49 mile stretch of beach between Hatteras and Nags Head going to waste every day. As crowds increase every year, the Outer Banks will become more and more important as one of the last, undeveloped areas in the East. The East Coast Surfing Championships should be help there.

[Surf photos: Bruce Walker, Steve Cowden]

OUTER BANKS '69: "IT'S ABOUT TIME ONE OF THE EAST'S FINEST SPOTS GETS RECOGNIZED"

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