
Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 1 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 4 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, SSE swell with 373 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period with SSE 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 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore 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 Monday (Aug 03) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's talk in feet and miles per hour for the rest of you.
Lookin' at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty quiet stretch ahead for the Croatan area. The overall pattern is small, with a few windows where it might be just worth paddling out, but there's nothing to get too excited about for a while.
We start off with a bit of a gap. Honestly, the first few days are a write-off. Saturday (August 1st) and Sunday (August 2nd) are just poor, with messy, weak wind-swell and cross/on-shore winds. Not worth your time. The first real sniff of anything surfable comes on Monday morning, August 3rd. We’ve got a modest bump in energy, with the combined energy of all swells directed here hitting 535, and chest-high waves around 5 ft coming from the SSE. The wind is cross-off, keeping it clean, but with a period of only 8 seconds, it’s a bit of a short-period wind swell. It’s marginal, but it’s the best we’ve got early on. The water is sitting at 77°, which is a touch cooler than average for this time of year, but nothing wild.
The real standout, and the only time I’d get a little excited, is Tuesday morning, August 4th. The wind drops to glassy – a light 3 mph from the SW. That’s a major positive. The swell fades a bit to a knee-high 3 ft from the SE, combining to a weak energy of 73, but the glassy conditions will make it look a thousand times better than the size suggests. For a beginner spot like Croatan, that’s pretty much ideal. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," and with glass, it’ll be a fun little session for the learner crew. Crowds are often here, so expect some company, but on a Tuesday morning, you might be alright.
After that, it’s a long, slow fade. From Wednesday morning (August 5th) all the way through to Sunday, August 16th, the swell is tiny, mostly below 2 ft, and the energy is consistently weak (two-digit numbers). There are a few mornings with clean, cross-off winds, like August 7th, 8th, and 9th, but the waves are just too small to really ride. The wave state is clean, but there’s nothing to push you down the line. A couple of afternoons even show a glassy period on the 16th with 0.3 ft swell and no wind, which is beautiful to look at but flat as a pancake.
So, to wrap it up: Monday the 3rd is your best bet for actual size, but Tuesday the 4th morning with the glassy wind is the true quality window for a clean, tiny wave. Everything else is a long, flat spell. It’s one of those times where the forecast is optimistic for a change, but for now, this is what we’ve got.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Tue afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 5 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
10 | 15 | 57 | 134 | 322 | 324 | 350 | 96 | 69 | 54 | 21 | 39 | 59 | 62 | 39 | 31 | 17 | 54 | 77 | 28 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:33PM1.08m | 11:02AM1.06m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:22PM0.12m | 4:45AM0.02m | 5:09PM0.14m | 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 | |||||||
— | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 28 |
Feels °C | 28 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | — | SE 8 | — | E 13 | E 14 | E 8 | SE 6 | SE 6 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 8 |
7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 211 | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 28 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | E 13 | — | — | E 12 | E 9 | E 11 | E 13 | NE 10 | E 11 | ESE 8 | E 11 | E 9 | E 9 |
4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | E 9 | E 11 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 4 | — | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 5 |
10 | 15 | 57 | 134 | 322 | 324 | 350 | 96 | 69 | 54 | 11 | — | 59 | 62 | 39 | 31 | 17 | 54 | 77 | 27 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1129 | 852 | 1073 | 2001 | 910 | 694 | 401 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 594 | 813 | 0 | 2301 | 418 | 0 | 481 | 481 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











