Drum Inlet and Ophelia Inlet are inlets of the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. They connect the

Core Sound The Core Sound is a sound (geography) in eastern North Carolina located between the mainland of Carteret County and Core Banks, part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It lies between the large Pamlico Sound to the northeast and the smaller ...

with the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and separate North Core Banks from South Core Banks. The exact inlet locations and names have changed with time, as new inlets open, merge, or close. Conversationally, the inlet or inlets between mile 19 and 23, as measured from

Ocracoke Inlet Ocracoke Inlet ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

, are typically called Drum Inlet even when, geologically, they have other names. Core Banks - New Old Drum Inlet

Drum Inlet initially opened at mile 19 in about 1899, but closed naturally by 1919. It reopened during the 1933 Outer Banks Hurricane, but closed by 1971 when the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

dredged and blasted a new inlet, called New Drum Inlet, at mile 22. The purpose of New Drum Inlet was to allow commercial fishing vessels to access ocean from several small coastal communities; however, the inlet shoaled before any commercial vessels used it. In August 1999

Hurricane Dennis Hurricane Dennis was an early-forming major hurricane in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico during the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Dennis was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season. F ...

reopened the original Drum Inlet, at mile 19, which become New Old Drum Inlet, but it has again closed around 2008. In September 2005 Ophelia Inlet was opened by Hurricane Ophelia, just south of New Drum Inlet, at mile 23. page 12Barrier Island Ecology of Cape Lookout National Seashore, NPS Scientific Monograph No.9, Chapter 3
Over the winter of 2008-2009, all of Drum and New Drum inlets shoaled and closed up, leaving only Ophelia Inlet. In September 2011,

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 ...

reopened New Drum (mile 22) and Old Drum inlets (mile 19) and widened Ophelia Inlet (mile 23). Part of the North Core Island between Old Drum Inlet (mile 19) and New Drum Inlet / Ophelia Inlet (at mile 22/23) is referred to as Middle Core Island in the years when Old Drum Inlet is open. Similarly small section of Core Bank between New Drum Inlet and Ophelia Inlet, which existed in years 2005 to 2008, was referred to as New Core Island.

References

{{Outer Banks inlets Bodies of water of Carteret County, North Carolina Inlets of North Carolina Outer Banks