Surfline is a surf forecasting and media company that provides real-time ocean and wave conditions, surf reports, and surf forecasts for beaches and surf spots worldwide. During the program, Surfline Forecasters Kurt Korte, Rob Mitstifer and Tim Kent will discuss the basics of surf forecasting and why the Outer Banks is such a unique surf destination. The program will discuss the tools they use to make forecasts and dive into the technology that Surfline uses to observe and predict the surf not only here, but around the world.
About the Speakers
Photos and bios courtesy of Surfline.
Kurt Korte
Kurt has a crusty 1995 Hurricane Tracking Chart hanging in Surfline’s Outer Banks office, a sacramental timepiece to his life’s work. Upon getting his BA in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Virginia, Kurt promptly joined the Surfline team in 2005, then earned his Master’s in Meteorology from North Carolina State University. His current field of expertise is Data and Observations Analysis.
After an intense trial-by-fire in tracking the historically active 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Kurt considers the Hurricane Katia forecast he nailed for the East Coast’s only Championship Tour event, the 2011 Quiksilver Pro New York, as a professional high point. The best part of the gig? “Working with such a talented group of people while challenging myself to constantly be better at my job,” he reveals. “Nailing a tough forecast and having people score great waves because of your hard work and experience is a pretty cool thing.”
Kurt lives in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
Rob Mitstifer
Growing up surfing and sailing on the Jersey Shore had such a profound impact on the Long Beach Island local, Rob Mitstifer was only 12 years old when he knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up: a meteorologist, specifically, a surf forecaster. After obtaining a BS in Meteorology from Penn State University, Rob was hired in 2017, and relocated to North Carolina to work alongside Kurt Korte out of Surfline’s Nags Head office.
“There are so many great parts of the job,” he says, “but the best feeling is probably nailing a tricky swell or what some refer to as a ‘surprise swell.’ Using experience, forecasters know certain weather scenarios the models will miss in regards to swell. This happens here on the Outer Banks fairly often.”
Rob lives in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
Tim Kent
Throughout high school and college, South Carolina surfer Tim Kent spent a lot of time scouring FNMOC charts and monitoring NHC updates to determine when and where he and his friends had their best shot at scoring good surf. Receiving a BS in Physics with a concentration in Meteorology, and an MS in Meteorology from North Carolina State University, he joined Surfline in 2018.
“The first successful forecast for me is probably still my most memorable,” he says. “Hurricane Floyd, 1999, the day they called the mandatory evacuation for the coast. We skipped school and made it down to Cherry Grove Pier before the swell really hit. I had picked that area even though I had never surfed there, because the winds were supposed to be NNE/NE. It was thigh-high when we got there. Overhead when we left.”
Tim lives in Kitty Hawk, NC.
Based at the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI), the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) advances inter-disciplinary marine energy solutions across UNC System partner colleges of engineering at NC State University, UNC Charlotte, and NC A&T University. Click on the links below for more information.
ECU's Integrated Coastal Programs (ECU ICP) is a leader in coastal and marine research, education, and engagement. ECU ICP includes the Coastal Studies Institute, ECU's Department of Coastal Studies, and ECU Diving and Water Safety.
The ECU Outer Banks campus is home to the Coastal Studies Institute.
