Sunset Beach Pier Webcam – Watch the Surf in North Carolina

The Sunset Beach Pier Webcam looks across the sand at Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to the wooden fishing pier where it runs out into the Atlantic. The pier fills the left side of the frame, its light poles running out to the end, with anglers often lined along the rails. Surf breaks across the middle of the picture, a wide stretch of flat sand runs below it, and tall dune grass fills the right foreground. On a calm afternoon a few people sit out in beach chairs, while a rough day sends the waves washing in around the pilings. A second tab switches to the same operator’s marsh camera, with tidal creeks, a road and a bridge in the distance.

About Sunset Beach Pier

Sunset Beach is a small town in Brunswick County, in the far southeastern corner of North Carolina, on a barrier island separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway. Mannon C. Gore bought the land in 1955 and the town was incorporated in 1963. The 2020 census counted 4,175 residents, and the town sits about 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level. The beach runs east to west, and the pier credits that unusual orientation for the sunsets the place is named after.

The pier is 274 meters (900 feet) long. The first one was built in June 1960 and destroyed by a storm, and the present pier went up on its current site in 1976, directly over the wreck of the Vesta, a Civil War blockade runner. The ship was set on fire in 1864 in about 3 meters (10 feet) of water, and her hull, 55 meters (180 feet) long and 10 meters (34 feet) wide, lies parallel to the beach under the pier, long since covered by sand.

Reaching the island used to be part of the story. Until 2010, cars crossed to it on a one-lane wooden pontoon bridge, the last one of its kind still in use on the East Coast. A high-rise bridge standing 20 meters (65 feet) above the water opened on November 11, 2010, and the old pontoon span survives as a museum. The second camera on this page looks out from the deck of The Sunset Inn over the marsh, the waterway and that crossing; the operator labels it the Sunset Beach Marsh, Waterway and Bridge cam.

Weather and Climate in Sunset Beach

Winters here are mild and short. Ten-year averages for the beach put January afternoons around 13 C (55 F) and nights near 4 C (40 F), so winter frames can show a near-empty beach and only a handful of anglers on the pier. Spring warms quickly, and April highs average about 22 C (72 F). Inland at Wilmington the summers run a little hotter and the winter nights colder, because the ocean evens out the temperatures on the beach.

Summer is hot and humid. July highs sit near 30 C (86 F) on the beach, and the average July night stays around 24 C (75 F). July, August and September are the wettest months, each bringing roughly 180 to 190 millimeters (7 to 7.5 inches) of rain. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and a storm offshore can send heavy surf in under the pier. October is still warm, with highs around 24 C (75 F) and less than half the rain of September.

Things to Do Near Sunset Beach Pier

The pier is the obvious first stop. It is a working fishing pier at 101 West Main Street, and its operators say dolphins turn up off the end, with boats passing through Little River Inlet on the South Carolina border further west. West of the town, the Bird Island Coastal Reserve protects more than 486 hectares (1,200 acres) of salt marsh, tidal creeks, dunes and undeveloped beach. It is one of 10 sites in the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, and a good place for birdwatching.

Out in the Bird Island dunes stands the Kindred Spirit mailbox, where visitors leave letters, confessions and notes in shared journals. It plays a part in the Nicholas Sparks novel Every Breath, and local guides put the walk along the beach at about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles). Back in town, the Old Bridge Museum lets you step inside the old bridge tender’s office and hear stories of the nautical days before the high-rise bridge. Ingram Planetarium, open since May 2002, runs space and astronomy shows in its SciDome Sky Theater and has hands-on exhibits in the Paul Dennis Science Hall.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of the Carolina coast, try these cams next.

• Bald Head Island Webcam
• Myrtle Beach Webcam
• Beaufort Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sunset Beach Pier located?

The pier stands at 101 West Main Street in Sunset Beach, a barrier island town in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The town lies at the southern end of the state’s coast, between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, close to the South Carolina border at Little River Inlet.

What can you see on the Sunset Beach Pier Webcam?

The main view takes in the wooden pier on the left, the surf breaking along it, the beach and the dune grass in the foreground, with the open Atlantic to the horizon. The second tab shows the marsh, tidal creeks, a road and the bridge from the deck of The Sunset Inn.

Which Sunset Beach does this webcam show?

This is Sunset Beach in North Carolina, not the beaches of the same name in California, Florida or on Oahu in Hawaii. The cameras are provided by Dave Nelson Real Estate Sales and streamed by Carolina Webcam Streaming.

What is the weather like in Sunset Beach, NC?

Mild in winter and hot in summer. January highs average about 13 C (55 F), while July highs reach about 30 C (86 F) with warm, humid nights. Late summer is the wettest time of year and falls inside the hurricane season.

How long is the Sunset Beach Pier?

It is 274 meters (900 feet) long. The current pier was built in 1976 to replace one from 1960 that a storm destroyed.

Is there a shipwreck under the Sunset Beach Pier?

Yes. The pier stands over the Vesta, a Civil War blockade runner burned in 1864 in about 3 meters (10 feet) of water. Sand now covers the 55 meter (180 foot) hull.

How do you get to the Kindred Spirit mailbox?

The mailbox sits in the dunes on Bird Island, west of the town, and there is no road to it. Most people walk along the beach, roughly 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) by local guides’ reckoning.

Is there a Sunset Beach bridge webcam?

Yes. The second tab of the Sunset Beach Pier Webcam switches to a camera on the deck of The Sunset Inn, which looks over the marsh and its creeks to a road and the bridge in the distance. The operator calls it the Sunset Beach Marsh, Waterway and Bridge cam.

Source: Carolina Webcam Streaming