Surf Forecasts:
Chicahauk surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, E swell with 43 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period with ESE 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 Saturday (Aug 22) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Chicahauk in the next 16 days are 0.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) 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 1.1m 4s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Chicahauk over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at Chicahauk. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty lean run for most of it. We’ve got that sandbar setup that can work, but the swell just isn’t cooperating for a long stretch. The water is sitting at about 84°, which is way warmer than it should be for this time of year – that’s a real standout.
For the first week and a bit, from Saturday the 22nd right through to Monday the 31st of August, it’s honestly pretty grim. Wave heights are tiny, mostly between 0.7ft and 2ft. The wind is all over the place – onshore, cross-onshore, some offshore but on the tiniest of waves. There’s a glassy morning on Monday the 24th, but with only 1ft of swell, you’re just bobbing around. Not worth getting wet for, really.
Now, there’s a big gap here. We don’t see anything really surfable until we hit the first of September. On Tuesday the 1st of September, the swell picks up – we’re talking 5ft to 6ft from the ENE, with short period around 7 seconds. The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean. Still, at that size and with that short period, it’s a bit of a messy, lumpy affair – more for the experienced crew who can handle a bit of chop.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. The swell drops back to a much more manageable 3ft from the ESE, with a period of 11 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, with more shape and energy behind it. The wind is light offshore from the WSW, so it’s gonna be clean. This is the standout session for the entire forecast. It won’t be massive, but the quality will be there for a fun surf on the sandbar. Get on it.
After that, it tails off again. Thursday the 3rd has a glassy morning with 2ft swell, and then from Thursday afternoon through to Sunday the 6th of September, it’s back to small, choppy, onshore junk with strong winds. The last few days show some bigger swell again (up to 5ft) but with strong onshore winds from the NE at 28 mph, creating a total mess. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.
So, to sum it up: there’s a long dry spell for the first week, then one really good, clean morning on Wednesday the 2nd of September. After that, it’s back to the usual poor stuff. The long-range standouts are promising but less certain, so keep an eye on it.
Stay safe, and don’t bother fighting the crowds if they show up on that Wednesday – they might, because it’s the only good window.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sat afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu night. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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 | NE 6 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
24 | 24 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 30 | 28 | 40 | 24 | 23 | 26 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:11PM1.05m | 4:33AM0.80m | 5:00PM1.07m | 5:24AM0.84m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:29AM0.43m | 10:47PM0.45m | 10:22AM0.42m | 11:36PM0.41m | 11:13AM0.39m | 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 | |||||||
6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 7:44 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | |
mm | 1 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 6 | — | 3 | 8 |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | NE 4 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SSE 7 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 |
13 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 27 | 25 | 3 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 30 | 28 | 40 | 19 | 23 | 13 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 12 | ESE 12 | NNW 3 | NNE 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | E 14 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | ESE 8 | SE 6 | ESE 8 |
24 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 24 | 8 | 26 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 11 | E 7 | — | N 3 | E 15 | E 15 | NE 6 | — | E 7 | E 6 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 |
14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 1 | — | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | — | S 4 | SW 3 | — | WNW 2 | NE 3 | — | — | NNE 3 | S 6 | — | ENE 3 | NE 3 | ESE 3 | SE 5 | S 3 | S 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 3 |
7 | — | 9 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 62 | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 46 | 8 | 16 | 6 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1640 | 61 | 251 | 61 | 468 | 61 | 61 | 240 | 87 | 61 | 179 | 61 | 0 | 814 | 17 | 0 | 1086 | 93 | 0 | 203 | 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.











