Surf Forecasts:
Chicahauk surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with 93 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s 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 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Chicahauk in the next 16 days are 0.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chicahauk over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming our way for Chicahauk over the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it’s a pretty flat and frustrating run. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak junk. The first real chance of anything rideable comes on the morning of Thursday, August 27th, but it’s nothing to get excited about. After that, there are days and days of poor surf with barely a pulse. You’re going to be looking at a big gap of nearly a week with no decent options until we see a bit of push early in the second week.
The water temp at Chicahauk is sitting at 82°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
Let’s run through it. The best on offer—and I use that term loosely—is the Thursday morning of August 27th. Swell is a measly 2ft from the east with a short 9-second period. The combined energy is weak (56), but there’s a light cross-off wind from the SW, keeping it clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. If you’re desperate, you could get a wet session in.
Friday morning, August 28th, offers a similar picture: 2ft from the east, but this time with a gentle offshore wind from the SW. Clean faces, but again, tiny and weak energy (51). Not worth a special trip.
Now, into the first week of September, we get a slight bump. The morning of Wednesday, September 2nd sees the swell nudge up to 2ft from the ESE with a longer period of 11 seconds. Energy is still low (91), but that longer period might give the little waves a bit more shape. Light cross-off wind from the WNW keeps it clean. It's still small, but probably the best wave shape you’ll see in this whole outlook.
Then, around Friday, September 5th, the swell tries to kick up. We get 4ft from the ENE with a 10-second period and moderate energy (238). However, the wind is straight onshore from the ENE at 9 mph. This is going to be messy and choppy. It’s surfable for a strong intermediate, but the quality is shot.
Honestly, for the beach and sandbar setup at Chicahauk, with the onshore wind and that moderate swell, this setup might honestly be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. That’s the reality.
Beyond that, there are a few mornings with clean conditions and glassy water, like Tuesday afternoon, September 1st, but with only 1ft of swell on a 7-second period, there’s just nothing to push a surfer around.
In short, it’s a lean period. A few tiny, clean windows on the 27th, 28th, and 2nd of September are where you’ll want to be if you’ve got a longboard and a lot of patience. The little pulse on the 5th is bigger but blown out. Conditions should improve at some point—it tends not to stay this poor for long.
Stay patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Fri night, calm by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Mon morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
38 | 59 | 56 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 43 | 21 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 31 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 32 | 91 | 77 | 49 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 7:48PM1.20m | 8:11AM1.10m | 8:24PM1.20m | 8:47AM1.16m | 9:00PM1.18m | 9:26AM1.21m | 9:40PM1.14m | 10:09AM1.25m | 10:23PM1.09m | 10:56AM1.27m | 11:10PM1.04m | 11:44AM1.28m | 11:59PM0.99m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:35PM0.22m | 2:06AM0.12m | 2:14PM0.18m | 2:38AM0.09m | 2:54PM0.16m | 3:11AM0.07m | 3:37PM0.18m | 3:49AM0.07m | 4:27PM0.21m | 4:32AM0.09m | 5:21PM0.25m | 5:20AM0.13m | 6:17PM0.29m | ||||||||
6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | |
mm | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 32 | 31 |
Feels °C | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 32 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 36 | 34 | 31 | 35 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 |
38 | 59 | 56 | 36 | 35 | 14 | 43 | 21 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 31 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 32 | 91 | 77 | 49 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 12 | E 12 | SE 4 | E 11 | E 8 | ENE 10 | SE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | NE 4 | NE 4 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 14 | ESE 9 | ESE 12 | SSW 5 | — | S 6 |
5 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 13 | — | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | — | E 12 | E 11 | SE 5 | ENE 10 | S 5 | E 10 | ENE 9 | — | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | E 8 | E 13 | S 5 | — | — | — |
13 | — | 11 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 9 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 3 | SSE 5 | WSW 3 | S 3 | WSW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 2 | WSW 2 | — | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 4 | W 3 | SW 2 | SSW 4 |
— | 3 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 24 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1057 | 31 | 0 | 240 | 0 | 5 | 61 | 481 | 183 | 2816 | 61 | 61 | 1089 | 261 | 240 | 2131 | 0 | 0 | 422 | 0 |
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.











