
Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period, ENE swell with 94 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Croatan this week:
The surf forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.7m 10s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Croatan has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a pretty bleak run. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak, and messy conditions.
The window kicks off on Monday the 7th of September, but honestly, the first week is a write-off. We're dealing with tiny ankle-biters, mostly around 1ft to 2ft, with poor, choppy wind the whole time. There's just no energy in the water – the swell energy numbers barely scrape into double digits, staying between 23 and 76 for days. It’s not something you’d paddle out for unless you’re desperate for a float.
We finally get a tiny flicker on Wednesday the 9th in the morning. A 2ft south-easterly bump (7-second period) rolls in, and with a light offshore breeze, it'll be clean. But it’s tiny. The score reflects that it’s "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". You’d be on a longboard, working for scraps.
Thursday the 10th is more of the same. The morning is a flat 1ft, and the afternoon jumps to 3ft, but it’s from the south with a dreadful 4-second period – that’s just wind chop. It might be clean with the offshore wind, but there's no power behind it (combined energy just 48).
The bad news keeps coming right through to the middle of the second week. This is a proper flat spell. You’re looking at over a week of nothing worth mentioning. There’s a little bump in swell height on Monday the 16th, hitting 4ft from the north-east, but it’s badly chopped up by a moderate cross-shore wind, with a score of zero. No good.
The one thing that catches your eye is way out at the end of the forecast. On the morning of Monday the 21st of September, things just start to tick up, but the real event is Tuesday the 22nd. We’ve got a solid 6ft east-north-easterly swell rolling in with an 8-second period. The combined swell energy jumps to 457, which is a big number and says there’s finally some moderate grunt in the water. But – and it's a big but – the wind is a moderate cross-onshore at 16 mph. That’s going to make it choppy and messy. This swell is also getting up over 5ft, so it’s getting a bit much for the beginners. The raw power is there, but the conditions look more like a fight than a fun session. By that point, you might be looking out at a beach-break setup with that kind of cross-onshore wind and thinking it's more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, although the cleanest lines will be tough to find.
So, the long and short of it is, the first week is a total loss. The second week has very little to offer until that final pulse around the 22nd. That Tuesday the 22nd is the only potential standout, but it’s a long way off, a bit on the big side and the wind is against it. It’s promising, but feel free to be skeptical. The rest of the time, you’re better off doing something else.
Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts. This kind of blank run happens here, but it never lasts forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 21°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 33°C on Thu afternoon, min 21°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
36 | 57 | 90 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 27 | 44 | 13 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 11 | 23 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 29 | 21 | 34 | 32 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 5:24PM1.23m | 5:49AM1.06m | 6:20PM1.25m | 6:45AM1.15m | 7:10PM1.26m | 7:35AM1.22m | 7:56PM1.25m | 8:22AM1.28m | 8:39PM1.21m | 9:07AM1.30m | 9:21PM1.16m | 9:51AM1.29m | 10:02PM1.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:47AM0.08m | 11:48PM0.12m | 11:51AM0.04m | 00:41AM0.06m | 12:50PM0.00m | 1:28AM0.01m | 1:44PM-0.02m | 2:11AM-0.02m | 2:33PM-0.01m | 2:51AM-0.02m | 3:18PM0.03m | 3:30AM0.00m | 4:03PM0.08m | 4:09AM0.05m | |||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | |
— | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 25 |
Feels °C | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 31 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | ESE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 7 | ENE 8 | SE 7 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | SSE 5 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 5 | ESE 10 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 9 |
8 | 7 | 90 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 27 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 39 | 11 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 21 | 12 | 32 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | ESE 8 | SE 6 | ENE 8 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ESE 9 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | S 5 | S 5 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | NE 4 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | SSE 4 |
7 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 34 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | — | — | ESE 8 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 10 | ESE 10 | NE 9 | — | E 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 11 | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — |
3 | — | — | 6 | — | 7 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 3 | — | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | — | — | SE 4 | SSE 3 | — | SE 7 | S 4 | SW 4 | SSE 4 | SW 4 | — | NE 3 | ESE 3 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | WSW 3 | — | — |
36 | 57 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 44 | 24 | 15 | 28 | 11 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 17 | 29 | 1 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 280 | 210 | 175 | 10 | 481 | 78 | 0 | 481 | 481 | 228 | 197 | 0 | 138 | 290 | 138 | 697 | 1137 | 178 | 242 | 2845 | 242 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Croatan Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Croatan provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Croatan can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Croatan 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 (Croatan) 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 Croatan 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.
Croatan is 7 km (4 miles) from the city of Virginia Beach. If you plan a vacation in Virginia, look for hotels and other accommodation in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










