Sept 11- Why we should be Scared in Beaufort, NC

Okay, here goes.....and this goes for Hurricane Florence and any storms in the future. I want to point out, in my dumbass, uneducated, typically wrong opinion, Beaufort Inlet IS NOT THE SAME PLACE it was in 1996, 1999, 2005, or any of the other MAJOR HURRICANE EVENT YEARS.

Here is what Ive seen, what I see, what I know, and what I think.

On Sept 4, 2012, Gerald Currin and I had a very memorable day fishing at AR-315 off At Beach. We caught a tiny Sailfish. Around 14" long. Cool as Hell. That day, we also fought a huge Hurricane Swell coming off an obscure storm named LESLIE that was dar away in the Atlantic. That afternoon, when came back in the Inlet, we both noted the incredible erosion that had occured in the mere 5 hours that we had fished. The western end of Shackleford Banks, while the scene of some incredible surfing, had been incredibly eroded by the monster swell that rolled up the Beach from the SW.

Jump ahead 6 years. It is now 2018. What began THAT DAY IN 2012, has never been reversed and has now eroded a massive amount of the western end of Shackleford Banks. Range Finders and Day Boards that once stood in the sand dunes 1,000's of feet from the water, now stand in the Ocean nearly a 3/8 of a mile from the nearest sand. The exact same phenomenom has happened in Hatteras Inlet. The west end of Hatteras Island is GONE.

As a result of this erosion down here in Carteret County, this is what I see and its got me a little spooked. Beaufort Inlet, for years, was a very nicely defined and narrow Inlet. Standing on Front Street in Beaufort and facing South, you had 2 massive bodies of land standing between Beaufort and the Open Ocean. Shackleford Banks and Carrot Island. As the landmass on Shackleford Banks has been peeled back to the east, its like a window has been opened that COULD ALLOW giant Ocean Waves, that wouldve smacked Shackleford Banks to now Roll Right On to Carrot Island before dumping its energy. Now, I realize that the Beaufort Waterfront is still guarded by a Double Island Wave Break if the waves approach from either the SE or SW. But, if by fate, Hurricane Florence was to push a 10+ foot Storm Surge and throw in a 18 foot Swell from the DUE SOUTH, look for an absolute disaster for the town of Beaufort. All the boarding up in the world aint gonna make much difference. Giant Ocean Combers breaking on Carrot Island. The very waves that slipped in Beaufort Inlet, through an area that a mere 6 years ago the same waves would've encountered 20 foot high sand dunes!!!!. Look for dead horses, scrub Oaks, docks and boats to be piled up in front of Clawsons. It aint good and hopefully it wont happen. I can not understand WHY THE EROSION HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE MEDIA. But ask anyone who fishes regularly in and out of Beaufort Inlet. That'll tell you. Something very bad is happening and unfortunately, its about to get worse.