Currituck Sound is a protected
inlet of the
Atlantic Ocean, located in northeastern part of
North Carolina and extreme southeastern
Virginia. Thirty miles N-S and 3–8 miles wide, this shallow, island-filled sound is separated from the ocean by the Currituck Banks Peninsula (formerly
Bodie Island), part of the
Outer Banks. On the NE, it extends to Back Bay in
Virginia Beach, Virginia. A fork on the northwest leads to the
Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, which is a part of the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway that connects the sound to
Hampton Roads and the
Chesapeake Bay. Although several inlets connected it directly to the Atlantic at one time or another, they have all since closed and there is now no direct access to the Ocean from the Sound. This has caused the salinity levels to be significantly lower than they had been historically. Currently, the only access to the Ocean is through the
Albemarle Sound, which joins the Currituck to the South.
Currituck County's
Mackay Island and
Currituck National Wildlife Refuge as well as
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and
False Cape State Park in
Virginia Beach border the sound and are winter habitats on the
Atlantic Flyway. Many watersports activities occur in the sound, including
parasailing,
sea kayaking, and
jet skiing. An area of
barrier beaches, it is also noted for its duck and goose hunting.