Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 4 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, SSE swell with 310 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with SE 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 (Aug 04) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 1.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 11PM. 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 Monday (Aug 10) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
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’s shaping up for the next couple weeks.
To be straight with you, the forecast is looking pretty grim for Croatan. We’re staring down a long stretch of flat to weak conditions. The first real shot of any surf worth talking about doesn’t even show up until Monday the 3rd of August, and even then it’s a real struggle. Before that, it’s basically a write-off.
So, the best of a bad bunch comes Monday morning, the 3rd of August. We’ve got a 5ft swell rolling in from the SSE, but it’s coming with a short period of 8 seconds, so it’s not going to have much punch. The combined energy is moderate (483), but the wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 12 mph, which will keep the surface clean. The problem is the forecast has it as marginal, and the consistency is only "fairly consistent" at this beach/jetty, so it’s a gamble. The afternoon drops off to 4ft, and the wind picks up a bit. For a beginner spot, the 5ft is at the upper end of manageable, but it’s not a classic.
There’s a tiny window Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, with a 2ft swell from the SE and a glassy offshore wind from the ENE at 3 mph. The surface would be clean, but the swell is tiny and weak (combined energy of 53). It’s more of a longboard or a flat day.
After that, it’s a wasteland for the rest of the 16 days. We’re talking day after day of 0.7ft to 2ft surf, with mostly cross-off or cross-shore winds. The energy stays low, often in the double digits (combined energy of 14 to 62). There’s a moment on Saturday the 15th of August morning with a 2ft SSE swell and a light offshore wind from the W at 6 mph, but it’s still just a dribble. The water temp is about 77°F, which is a touch below average for this time of year (anomaly of -1°F), nothing to get excited about.
Honestly, this is a lean stretch. The forecast doesn't offer any standouts. If you’ve got a kite, the cross-off winds on Monday the 3rd might be more interesting than paddle surfing, but for a wave rider, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but this one looks locked in flat.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | S 5 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 307 | 267 | 208 | 131 | 88 | 75 | 96 | 60 | 30 | 27 | 49 | 56 | 49 | 33 | 11 | 34 | 58 | 28 | 36 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:13PM1.04m | 11:44AM1.09m | 11:56PM0.99m | 12:29PM1.12m | 00:42AM0.94m | 1:20PM1.14m | 1:35AM0.90m | 2:16PM1.16m | 2:36AM0.87m | 3:20PM1.18m | 3:44AM0.87m | 4:28PM1.21m | 4:54AM0.91m | ||||||
Low Tide | 5:25AM0.02m | 5:59PM0.15m | 6:09AM0.03m | 6:54PM0.16m | 6:58AM0.04m | 7:53PM0.17m | 7:51AM0.05m | 8:54PM0.16m | 8:48AM0.05m | 9:58PM0.15m | 9:50AM0.03m | 11:03PM0.12m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | 8:08 | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
mm | — | 3 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 27 |
Feels °C | 28 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | NE 5 | — | SE 6 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 6 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 131 | 88 | 75 | 96 | 1 | — | 27 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 58 | 28 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 13 | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | NE 10 | E 11 | NE 9 | E 11 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 12 | E 10 | — | E 11 | — | — | — | E 11 | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | WSW 4 | — | SW 3 | SW 3 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | S 3 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | S 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | S 5 | SW 3 | S 4 | S 5 |
| kJ | 307 | 267 | 208 | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 60 | 30 | 8 | 49 | 56 | 49 | 33 | 11 | 34 | 3 | 9 | 36 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 868 | 913 | 429 | 0 | 294 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 234 | 290 | 0 | 622 | 443 | 416 | 622 | 228 | 0 | 234 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Croatan surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
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