Surf Forecasts:
Chicahauk surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 17s period, E swell with 94 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Chicahauk this week:
The surf forecast for Chicahauk over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Chicahauk in the next 16 days are 0.4m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chicahauk over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a proper look at what Chicahauk has on the table for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty quiet start. The first week is mostly small and sloppy, with hardly anything worth paddling out for. The first couple of days, Monday and Tuesday of the 24th and 25th, we’ve got tiny swell – barely 1ft to 1ft – mixed with onshore or cross-shore winds. It's just not happening. Wednesday and Thursday try to tease us with a bit of a pulse, but the periods are short and the wind chop is messy. Thursday morning the 27th offers a tiny window: 2ft from the east with a clean, glassy feel thanks to a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW, but it’s pretty forgettable.
We hit a real dry spell from there through the end of August. Saturday morning the 29th is the only highlight, with the wind going glassy around that tiny 2ft swell, but the energy is weak (60) and it’s short period, so you might get a couple of grovelly ones if you’re desperate. Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st stay small and mostly messy.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. We finally get a taste of something real as we roll into September. Tuesday morning the 1st is the first genuine standout. Chicahauk sees a 2ft easterly swell, but it’s a proper groundswell with a 15-second period and the combined energy jumps way up to 222 (moderate wave energy). This will give the waves some shape and push, and the wind is light offshore from the southwest – clean as a whistle. This is the best session of the forecast so far. It’s a bit small sure, but the quality is miles above anything else we’ve seen.
Things get a bit shaky for the next day or two with onshore winds and a cross-chop, but then we get another solid window. Thursday morning the 3rd of September is the real prize. The swell bumps up a touch to 3ft from ESE, still with a nice 12-second period, and the energy is sitting at 268 (moderate wave energy). The wind? Glassy, from the SSW. That means perfectly clean lines. This is your best bet for the whole forecast. Get on it.
After that, the middle of September gets messy again. The swell height actually builds over the weekend of the 5th and 6th, hitting 5ft and 6ft from the northeast, but the wind turns howling onshore, strong breeze, and the period drops right off. That setup will be a washing machine – honestly, better suited for kite surfing than a regular paddle board. There's no quality in that.
Looking further out to the second week, the water temperature is sitting at a balmy 82°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won't need a rubber.
We finish the forecast with a return to cleaner conditions. Tuesday morning the 8th of September brings another offshore wind (WSW, 20 km/h) with a 3ft easterly swell, and a 10-second period. The combined energy is sitting at 202 (moderate). It won't be the stand-out of the 3rd, but it’s clean and rideable, a nice way to wrap things up if you missed the earlier windows.
Overall, this is a slow start with a couple of sweet, clean windows early in September. The 1st and the 3rd are your go days. There's some bigger, ugly swell in between, but for clean waves, don’t sleep on those glassy mornings.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Wed night. Warm (max 27°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Sat morning). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 36 | 27 | 36 | 40 | 40 | 36 | 23 | 64 | 44 | 44 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 22 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:47PM1.11m | 6:14AM0.90m | 6:32PM1.15m | 6:57AM0.96m | 7:12PM1.18m | 7:35AM1.03m | 7:48PM1.20m | 8:11AM1.10m | 8:24PM1.20m | 8:47AM1.16m | 9:00PM1.18m | 9:26AM1.21m | 9:40PM1.14m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:23AM0.34m | 12:05PM0.34m | 1:02AM0.27m | 12:53PM0.28m | 1:35AM0.19m | 1:35PM0.22m | 2:06AM0.12m | 2:14PM0.18m | 2:38AM0.09m | 2:54PM0.16m | 3:11AM0.07m | 3:37PM0.18m | 3:49AM0.07m | |||||||
— | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
7:42 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | |
mm | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Temp °C | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
Feels °C | 28 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
25 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 36 | 27 | 36 | 40 | 40 | 36 | 23 | 64 | 44 | 44 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 22 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | NE 4 | NE 4 | E 15 | ESE 7 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | SE 5 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | N 3 | NNE 3 | — | — | — |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | — | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | — | E 14 | — | E 8 | S 6 | E 11 | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
1 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | — | 1 | 1 | 10 | — | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 3 | NNW 3 | N 4 | — | ESE 2 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SSE 6 | S 4 | SSW 4 | S 4 | SW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 2 |
— | 1 | 3 | 7 | — | 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 131 | 27 | 8 | 17 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 240 | 304 | 183 | 857 | 624 | 594 | 1086 | 604 | 77 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 295 | 0 | 15 | 443 | 183 | 1279 | 100 | 907 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Chicahauk Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Chicahauk provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Chicahauk can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Chicahauk surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Chicahauk) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Chicahauk may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Chicahauk is 52 km (32 miles) from the city of Elizabeth City. If you plan a vacation in North Carolina, look for hotels and other accommodation in Elizabeth City. Elizabeth City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











