Water is the Outer Banks's biggest draw. Everywhere you look on the Outer Banks there's wet, wonderful H20-the deep, blue Atlantic Ocean; the wide, shallow Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, and Pamlico Sounds; brackish bays and estuaries teeming with wildlife; thick, sopping marshes; and dark, man-made canals sluicing through the islands. And everywhere you look there are people on or in the water. Whether it's on a surfboard, a kiteboard, a windsurfer, a JetSki, a kayak, or just in a bathing suit, everyone eventually finds their way to the water. Numerous water- sports establishments happily accommodate anyone's wish to get wet.

Surfing, windsurfing, and kiteboarding are among the area's most popular water sports, next to fishing, which we cover in a chapter of its own. Each year, thousands of novice to expert athletes flock to the Outer Banks to whet their appetites for these outdoor adventures. The Outer Banks is renowned as having the best surf breaks on the East Coast, and the constant wind and wide sounds make for perfect conditions. Be forewarned: You may become addicted and find yourself, like many other watersports enthusiasts, moving to these barrier islands to be closer to the waves and shallow sounds year-round. The gear you need is available at local surf shops and outfitters. Some Outer Banks surf shops lease body boards and skim- boards to daredevils who like to skirt the shoreline breakers.

The use of personal watercraft, including JetSkis, Sea Doos, and Wave Runners, has exploded in popularity. Rental outposts are established on the sound shores all along the Outer Banks to satisfy people's need for speed. The less-invasive sports of kayaking, canoeing, and sailing also are readily available, with ecotours and sunset cruises becoming increasingly popular pastimes. For more unusual endeavors, the National Park Service offers occasional snorkeling expeditions for families, and local dive shops will take you out wreck-diving in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Divers from the world over come to the Outer Banks to explore the numerous shipwrecks on the ocean floor. Several outfitters along the barrier islands rent powerboats for near-shore fishing and waterskiing.

Weather, of course, plays a big factor in whether a particular water sport is currently desirable or even advisable. Many area surf shops offer surfing hotlines and wave or wind updates so you can check conditions. The waters are generally warm enough to get in from May through late September. Even in the off-season months, waters can stay warm enough for bathers to enjoy a quick frolic. In the winter, real watersport devotees take the plunge with a wetsuit. Local boaters and paddlers get out on the water every month of the year and relish the smattering of warm days that we usually get in the dead of winter.

Some water workouts require special training and equipment, and shops and sports schools in almost every area of the Outer Banks rent and teach whatever you need to know. (See our Waves and Weather chapter for information about riptides and other hazards.)

Whether you're an athletic adventurer or a couch potato, you should be able to find exactly what you want in the way of water sports. Kayaking, for example, requires neither physical prowess nor extraordinary skill if you take a few minutes to learn to do it properly. On the flip side, scuba diving in these waters is dangerous without proper training and experience.

In this chapter we give you a rundown of water sports and a list of places to rent or buy equipment and take lessons. We list prices to give you a general idea of how much things cost, but be aware that prices are subject to change.