Seagull Says: Keep Your Cool and Your Flip-Flops On

🌊 TODAY’S TIDE (Weather + Surf Report)

• 🌞Weather

  It’s one of those suspiciously calm days—83° and partly cloudy with barely a breeze. The UV index is cranked to “crispy,” so don’t let that light wind lull you into a sunburn. Tonight drops to 75° with clear skies and enough humidity (89%) to make your beach towel feel clingy.

• 🏄‍♂️ Surf Report
  The ocean’s in chill mode—barely moving and more reflective than your ex at a full moon. Great for floating, not so much for flexing your board skills. Maybe just wade in dramatically and call it meditation.

📰 HEADLINES + CHATTER

If the shrimp don’t stir the pot, the heat will. Here’s what’s going down from Buxton to the boardroom:

• 🔥 Hottest June on Record? We’re in the Top 5.
  Hatteras and Ocracoke turned up the thermostat last month, landing in the top five for hottest Junes ever recorded. Cape Hatteras hit fourth place, and we’re not even into peak tourist tantrum season yet.

• 🦐 Shrimpgate Study Drops, Everyone’s Mad Anyway
  A long-awaited fisheries study has arrived, and while it doesn’t endorse banning shrimp trawling (sorry HB 442 fans), it does show shrimp populations are up and southern flounder are floundering. Basically, nobody’s thrilled and everyone thinks someone else is to blame. The full report dives into decades of coastal change, stakeholder trust issues, and why managing fish is basically like refereeing a family reunion.

• 🍎 Dare County’s 2025–2026 Teachers of the Year Announced
  Big shoutout to the teachers across Dare County who were chosen by their peers as MVPs of the classroom. We see you, we appreciate you, and we’re grateful you're shaping the next generation—despite the Wi-Fi, standardized tests, and whatever’s happening in the lunchroom.

• 🏠 New State Law Requires Human Trafficking Training for Vacation Rentals
  Starting this week, property managers for short-term rentals and hotels in North Carolina must complete human trafficking awareness training. If you’re listing a rental post-July 1, it’s mandatory now. Got a listing already live? You’ve got until 2027—but you’ll still want to get moving, unless you’re into steep fines and shady looks from the Real Estate Commission.

• 🐾 Outer Banks SPCA Maintains No-Kill Status
  Cue the happy tail wags: the Outer Banks SPCA/Dare County Animal Shelter officially maintained its no-kill status, saving over 90% of the animals in its care. No space-based euthanasia here—just a hard-working crew making sure dogs and cats get the second chance they deserve.

🎟️ THURSDAY EVENTS

The pre–Fourth chaos has begun. Limber up, paddle out, and maybe hold off on the karaoke until the second drink.

• 🧘 Dynamic Flow Fitness
  Duck Town Park | 7:30–8:15 AM
  Stretch, sweat, repeat—then pretend you didn’t immediately hit Duck Donuts after.

• 🧘‍♀️ Free Beach Yoga
  Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head | 7:30 AM
  Downward dog with a side of sea breeze and bystanders pretending not to stare.

• 🌲 Yoga in the Park
  Corolla | 7:30–8:30 AM
  A little om, a lot of humidity, and hopefully no mosquitoes named Greg.

• 🎆 Ocracoke Independence Day Celebration
  Visit Ocracoke | 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
  All-day celebration with small-town pride and a big chance of red, white, and who brought the grill lighter?

• 🧘‍♂️ Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga
  Ride The Wind Surf Shop, Ocracoke | 8:30 AM
  Core workout meets splash zone. Bonus points if you don’t lose your sunglasses.

• 🛶 Alligator River Canoe Tour
  Roanoke Island | 9:00 AM
  Peaceful paddling… until the first bug lands in your eye.

• 🎶 Concert on the Green
  Duck Town Park | 6:30 PM
  Pack your lawn chair, your snacks, and at least one opinion about the setlist.

• 🎬 Pride & Prejudice
  The Pioneer Theater, Manteo | 7:00 PM
  A/C, Mr. Darcy, and whispers of “he’s a red flag but I love him.”

• 🎭 The Lost Colony Show Night
  Manteo | 8:30 PM
  History, drama, and someone near you loudly explaining the plot like it’s a Marvel movie.

• 🎤 Karaoke Night
  Sundogs Raw Bar & Grill, Corolla | 10:00 PM
  Sing like no one’s listening. They definitely are—but they’ve had three mai tais, so it’s fine.

📍THE BEAK OF APPROVAL

🍗 Mama Kwan’s Tiki Bar & Grill – OBX Flavor with Zero Chill

Locals know: if you’re craving coconut chicken, fish tacos, or anything with a pineapple glaze, this is your spot. Mama Kwan’s in Kill Devil Hills is a laid-back surf shack with a menu that slaps and cocktails that don’t ask questions. Bonus: the tiki bar patio is prime for eavesdropping and pretending you're on vacation—even if you’re not.

📍1701 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

Because sometimes the best beach meal is the one that shows up with a paper umbrella and no judgment.

🚨 CRIME + SAFETY CORNER

Messy guests, missing kids, and mystery pool tossers included.

• 🏠 Pool Party Sabotage in Duck
  Officers were called to Rakiock Court after a local reported their so-called “friends” had been causing chaos all week—most recently by chucking things into their pool under cover of darkness. No suspects were found, but we’d like to officially vote these friends off the island.

• 🌊 Lost Kid Located on the Beach
  On Four Seasons Lane, a child told to walk from the playground back to their rental somehow ended up on the beach instead. Ocean rescue stepped in and located them safely. The good news: they were found. The bad news: this is why GPS exists, people.

• 🚧 Alleged Assault on Duck Road
  A third party reported seeing an adult male shove a juvenile into a wall. Officers used every tech trick in the book but came up empty-handed. Suspect remains unknown, but the side-eye from locals is very real.

• 💸 Unauthorized Charges in Martins Point
  Someone’s business account got hit with mystery charges in the 6000 block of Martins Point Road. It’s under investigation—but we’re guessing it wasn’t for a couple of beach chairs and a snow cone.

  

  This section is sponsored by Southern Oak Artisan

⛱️ VACAY OR STAY

🏡 FOR SALE: Bikeable Bliss on Becks Court

This 3-bed, 2-bath cutie in Manteo is less than five years old, beautifully landscaped, and comes with a fenced backyard and whole-house generator—so you’re ready for power outages and nosy neighbors. Located just off the North End path, you’re a short pedal from the Elizabethan Gardens, The Lost Colony, and enough public sound access to keep your paddleboard jealous.

📍101 Becks Ct, Manteo | $559,000

It's giving “starter home” meets “local legend in training”—and it won’t last long at $437/sq ft.

🌊 VACAY: Kings Landing – Canal Views, Cold Drinks, and Zero Stress

This 4-bed, 3.5-bath canal-front beauty in Pirate’s Cove is the vacation glow-up you didn’t know you needed. With two King En Suites, deck access from nearly every room, and a kitchen ready for your Top Chef moment, it’s basically a waterfront dream with bonus marina energy. Walk to Mimi’s Tiki Hut, grill by the water, or bring your boat and live like you own the place.

📍Kings Landing, Pirate’s Cove – Manteo, NC

With pools, tennis courts, playgrounds, and Blue Water Grill around the corner, you may never leave the neighborhood—and honestly, why would you?

🕵️‍♀️ HEARD AROUND, IN, OVER, or UNDER THE DUNES

Because the beach isn’t the only thing that’s overheated.

• 🪑 A beachgoer in Rodanthe duct-taped their chair to a skimboard and called it a “low tide lounger.” We kind of respect it.

  🎆 Someone in Duck asked if sparklers are “technically” fireworks. We’re just going to direct them to previous newsletters... again.

🔗 QUICK LINKS

• ⛴️Ferry Schedule – You can’t teleport to the Outer Banks (yet), so here’s how to float your way here the old-fashioned way.

• 🐾OBX SPCA Pet of the Week (more like every 10 days): Onyx is a sweet, energetic guy who loves toys, car rides, and dishing out hugs like it’s his job. He came to the shelter after his family lost housing, and now he’s ready to love hard all over again.

• 🌊Live Surf Cams – For “checking the surf,” but really just spying on beach traffic and seeing who already claimed your favorite spot.

• 💬Submit a Tip or Event – Got a hot lead, weird sighting, or something the seagulls should be squawking about? Slide it our way.

🧂FINAL PEEP FROM THE PERCH

If you’ve survived the humidity, the headlines, and that one tourist who thinks their golf cart is street legal, you’ve earned your beach chair nap.

Forward this to someone who still hasn’t figured out how to spell “Manteo.” They know who they are.

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