outer banks of north carolina

Sandbars swirl beneath Oregon Inlet in Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Waves driven by ocean winds can cause the sandbars here to shift and change literally by the hour, making conditions hazardous for boats. The Outer Banks are a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast that cover approximately half the northern North Carolina coastline. The islands are home to colonies of wild horses, sometimes called "banker ponies", which according to local legend are descended from Spanish Mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks.