Raleigh Bay

Raleigh Bay curves between Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout along the North Carolina coast. Its shore is formed by barrier islands, including Ocracoke, with the waters of Pamlico Sound behind them. Though called a bay, it faces the open Atlantic and gives vessels little shelter from the ocean swell. Inlets between the sandy islands provide passages to the protected sound, their channels shaped by tides, currents and storms.