Why Is Cape Hatteras Dangerous?

Cape Hatteras has been a deadly trap for sailors that have entered over the centuries. The stretch of shore is home to more than 600 shipwrecks off the shifting sandbars of the Hatteras Islands. The sandbars shift due to rough waves and unpredictable currents.

Is Hatteras Island safe?

Hatteras is in the 26th percentile for safety, meaning 74% of cities are safer and 26% of cities are more dangerous. This analysis applies to Hatteras's proper boundaries only. See the table on nearby places below for nearby cities. The rate of crime in Hatteras is 39.20 per 1,000 residents during a standard year.

Why is Outer Banks so dangerous?

The waters off North Carolina's coast have been called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the great number of ships that have wrecked there -- thousands since the sixteenth century. Geography, climate, and human activity have all played roles in making this region unusually treacherous to shipping.