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Shit Pipe, United States

Stay in Kure Beach: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Kure Beach

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Kure Beach NC
Kure Beach, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Alexisrael, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Shit Pipe

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces E (110°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (290°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 135). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 28°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kure Beach, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 5 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to ILM, direct.

    See flights ORD → ILM · Skyscanner from about £135 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 50 min from the airport to Shit Pipe.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Kure BeachAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Kure Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Kure Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Shit Pipe on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Live webcam

Carolina Beach, 3 km away

Open the webcam on surfchex.com

Webcams belong to their owners.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct224 ft9 ssoft226kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct255 ft8 ssoft342kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct314 ft8 smushy155kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct333 ft5 smushy46kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct413 ft7 smushy69kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct92 ft8 ssoft34kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct93 ft6 smushy55kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct153 ft7 smushy100kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct324 ft7 smushy183kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct07 ft9 ssoft712kJ20°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to ILM, then 50 min by road. About 5h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Fort Fisher

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Fort Fisher

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Fort Fisher

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, wind 7 kn (12 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to ILM, then 50 min by road. About 5h door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Kure Beach each day: Fort Fisher, Sand Stone, Shit Pipe, The Cove.

The trip from Kure Beach, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £865–£1,560 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£135–£285
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£50–£85
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£865–£1,560

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Kure Beach

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.