Seagull Says: Monday came anyway. Let’s deal with it together.

🌊 TODAY’S TIDE (Weather + Surf Report)

• 🌤️ Weather
  It’s giving: coastal crisp with a side of sass.
  High of 77°, mostly sunny, with a few clouds swinging by just to keep things interesting. Winds from the north at a breezy-but-polite 8 mph. UV’s at a 9, so sunscreen up or walk around pink and regretful. Tonight dips to 66° with light east winds and enough humidity to remind your hair who's boss.

• 🏄‍♂️ Surf Report
  Keep expectations low and your board volume high.
  Shin to knee-high surf is about all we’re working with today—barely rideable unless you’re rocking a door-sized longboard. Midday high tide might cough up a knee-high+ set or two if you’re lucky. Winds are light and variable early, turning westerly this afternoon with mostly clean to lightly side-textured faces. Not great, not terrible. Just OBX doing its Monday thing.

📰 HEADLINES + CHATTER

Because someone’s always mad, and someone’s always commenting in all caps.

• 🧺 OBX SPCA: Dryer Emergency
  The Outer Banks SPCA is in desperate need of a working dryer. If you’ve got one to donate (or know someone who does), call 252-475-5620. Because damp dog blankets aren’t it.

• ⛴️ House Budget May Ditch Ferry Toll Hikes
  Unlike the Senate’s spicy proposal to slap tolls on routes like Hatteras-Ocracoke and Currituck-Knotts Island, early versions of the NC House budget suggest they’re not on board with toll increases—at least not yet. Coastal legislators are pushing hard to keep these routes free. As always, we’ll be watching… and so will every local Facebook group within 60 miles of a ferry dock.

• 🏛️ NCDOT Hosting Public Meetings on Ocracoke South Dock Study
  Got thoughts on the future of the South Dock ferry terminal? You’ll have your chance. NCDOT is holding meetings on May 21 in Hatteras and May 22 in Ocracoke to discuss relocation, infrastructure needs, and the eternal battle with erosion.
  🔗 Meeting details + map

• 🌪️ Confirmed EF0 Tornado in Wanchese
  Yup, that was a tornado. The National Weather Service says an EF0 touched down last Thursday with 80 mph winds, flinging bleachers into buildings and ripping limbs across Pigum Walker Park. No major injuries, but Wanchese got a free thrill ride—and a reminder that OBX weather plays no games.

• 💊 Dare County Approves Opioid Settlement Spending
  Dare County’s getting $6.4 million in opioid settlement funds over the next 14 years. In 2026 alone, nearly $384K will go toward recovery services, treatment programs, peer support specialists, and life-saving naloxone. It’s part of a nationwide push that helped cut overdose deaths by 27% in 2024. Small steps, big impact.

• 🏀 Coach Chad Williams Receives National Champion Award
  First Flight High’s own Coach Chad Williams was honored with the National Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award—a seriously big deal, y’all. Not only has he built the Good Guys vs. Cancer Showcase into eastern NC’s top basketball event, but he's helped raise over $100K for families battling cancer. The guy’s a legend, and now he’s got the national award to prove it—joining the likes of Roy Williams and Tom Izzo. Respect.

📅 MONDAY’S LINEUP (BECAUSE APPARENTLY LIFE GOES ON)

Proof that something is happening… somewhere.

• 🕚 11:00 AM – Wind and Sand
  Step into aviation history with this short walk to the Wright brothers’ first flight site. It’s educational, free, and lets you pretend you’re not dodging emails.
  📍Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kitty Hawk
  🔗 Details

• 🦈 12:00 PM – Behind the Scenes: Shark Feeding
  Venture behind the tanks at the Aquarium’s Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit. Sharks eat, you watch. Everyone wins.
  📍NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island

• 🏝️ 3:00 PM – Life on a Barrier Island
  A 20-minute talk on storms, shipwrecks, and life surrounded by salt. Perfect for history nerds and weather drama fans.
  📍Cape Hatteras National Seashore – Bodie Island
  🔗 Event Info

• ✍️ 3:30 PM – Open Poetry
  Sip something bold and drop your best lines. No judgment—unless you rhyme “ocean” with “motion.”
  📍Front Porch Café, 2515 S Croatan Hwy, Nags Head
  🔗 More Info

• 🌅 4:00 PM – Soundside Sunset Festival
  Rodanthe’s newest market series is part shopping, part sunshine, and all good vibes. Hosted by Kitty Hawk Kites.
  📍24502 NC Hwy 12, Rodanthe

• 🎱 6:00 PM – Bingo Night
  Brews and bingo: a classic combo. Bring your luck and your loudest friend.
  📍Whalehead Brewery, Corolla
  🔗 Whalehead Brewery Events

• 🎶 7:00 PM – The Ramble
  A funk-rock-soul-jazz hybrid band at Duck’s Tap Shack. Yes, all those genres. Yes, it works.
  📍1209 Duck Road, Duck
  🔗 Tap Shack Info

📍THE BEAK OF APPROVAL

🛍️ Ben Franklin – The Souvenir Stop That Outsurvived the Five-and-Dime Empire
Need a beach chair, a crabby tee, or a souvenir that doesn’t scream “I forgot to shop until the last day”? Ben Franklin in Nags Head has you covered. This place has everything—from boogie boards to bait—and it’s been family-run by Outer Banks locals longer than most tourists have had flip-flops.

What started as a five-and-dime with roots in downtown Manteo is now a 21,000-square-foot retail time capsule with an ocean mural and an inventory that somehow always has what you didn’t realize you needed. Generations of OBX-goers stop here like it’s a ritual, and honestly? It kind of is.

📍2117 S Croatan Hwy, Nags Head

Bonus: Legend has it the Daniels family once sold gas to the Wright brothers. If that’s not local street cred, we don’t know what is.

📉 THE ROUGHER SIDE OF THE SANDBAR

It’s not all sunshine and surfboards out here.

• 🕊️ Body of Beloved Health Worker Recovered Off Oregon Inlet
  Carlson “BJ” Johnson, a Kill Devil Hills man and Outer Banks Health practitioner, was found in the Atlantic on May 15 after going missing during a recreational boating trip. His boat and dog have not been recovered. No life jacket was found, and an investigation is ongoing. The community is mourning the loss of someone many knew and trusted in local healthcare.

• 🚨 Hate Speech Incident on Currituck School Bus Leads to Arrest
  A disturbing video captured an adult boarding a Currituck County school bus and shouting racial slurs and threats at students. Samantha Spoor, 35, has been arrested and charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and communicating threats. School officials and law enforcement are reviewing transportation protocols in response to the incident. The language and trauma inflicted are unacceptable—period.

• 🚸 Pedestrian Safety Upgrades Coming May 19–20
  Expect crews along key spots in Duck this week as crosswalks get some love—painted medians, better signage, and bike lane updates are on the way near Sunset Grille, Christopher Drive, Scarborough Lane, and the Aqua area.

• 🚗 Three-Car Crash at Tarheel Produce
  One vehicle ended up in a ditch on Caratoke Highway, two others blocked the road. No major injuries reported, just the usual midday drama.

  💸 Seasonal Tolls Back on Chesapeake Expressway
  Summer tolls are here—again. Diane in the Facebook group says “go around ‘em, locals never pay,” and honestly? That feels like sound advice.

⛱️ VACAY OR STAY

🏡 FOR SALE: DOCKSIDE LIVING, HAMMOCK HANGS, AND A ROPE SWING WITH MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY

This 3-bed, 2-bath canal-front home in Oyster Creek Banks brings peak Ocracoke magic: vaulted ceilings, wood floors, stainless appliances, and a screened porch for sipping, spying, or seafood feasting. It’s a water-lover’s dream with dock access, fire pit, hammock setup, and even a rope swing for your inner kid (or actual kid, we don’t judge).

📍52 Fish Camp Ln, Ocracoke | $810,000 | MLS #126303

Bonus: Weekly rental goldmine or dreamy full-time escape—either way, you’ll want to claim this one before someone else’s kayak beats you to it.

🌊 VACAY: SWELLSHACK — A COZY OASIS WITH BIG MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY

Originally an artist’s workshop, this one-bedroom Ocracoke gem blends beachy calm with modern comfort. The SwellShack is tucked just off Back Road—close to the village, but far enough for real seclusion. Think screened porch hangs, an outdoor soaking tub, and one very lucky pup allowed to tag along (because every love story needs a sidekick).

📍Ocracoke, NC | SwellShack

Bonus: Stainless appliances, granite counters, barn doors, and pastel panels in the outdoor shower? It’s giving effortless charm with just the right touch of coastal fancy. Ideal for two humans and one “best dog in the whole world.”

🗣️ WHAT THE GULL SNAGGED FROM THE AIR THIS WEEKEND

• 🧴 A visitor was overheard asking if they could “rent sunscreen” at an Avon surf shop. The staff is still recovering.

• 🎣 A man in Hatteras claims he hooked a fish, lost it, and then saw it in someone else’s Instagram Story an hour later. No confirmation yet, but he's furious and scrolling.

• 🍤 A family at a seafood buffet in Nags Head allegedly snuck out with a gallon-sized ziplock of shrimp. Surveillance footage is being reviewed. (We're rooting for them.)

• 🌊 A Corolla visitor tried to drive their AWD crossover onto the beach. The tide—and the tow truck—had other plans.

🔗 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: Mitzi’s still waiting—and yes, she’d absolutely look better in your backseat than that beach towel.

• 🌊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 your Monday’s already off the rails, at least now you’re informed.

Sign up. Stay salty. Be nosy.