Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 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) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 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 0.7m 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 onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 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's on the cards for Croatan over the next couple of weeks.
Straight up, it's a tough run. The energy is weak for the most part, with a combined swell energy of only 90 on the first day and dropping into the 20s, 30s, and 40s for most of the first week. We're looking at small, short-period windswell with a lot of onshore or cross-onshore wind. The water is sitting at 81°, which is a full 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, feels like a warm bath.
The first real chance for a paddle comes on Sunday, the 13th of September. The morning looks glassy with a light southerly breeze, and we've got a little 1ft groundswell from the southeast with a period of 10 seconds. It's not going to be epic, but it'll be clean. The combined energy is low at 42, so expect weak waves, but it's surfable.
Then Monday morning, the 14th, offers a similar story. Another glassy morning, 2ft of east swell at 9 seconds. The energy is still low at 55. These are the only two windows in the first week that look remotely clean.
The following week doesn't get much better. Tuesday morning the 22nd of September shows a bit more size, with 4ft from the ENE and a combined energy of 151. The wind is light and cross-off from the SSW, so it should be clean. This is probably the best looking window in the whole 16-day stretch, but with a short period of 7 seconds, it's still a windswell. It’s a small, clean wave for the experienced crew.
All in all, don't hold your breath for anything firing. The best bet is to keep an eye on those glassy morning windows, especially the 22nd, but keep expectations low.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 21°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 6 | SE 6 | S 4 | SE 5 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | ENE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | ESE 5 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 69 | 78 | 55 | 46 | 22 | 14 | 26 | 33 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 14 | 14 | 24 | 79 | 67 | 51 | 24 | 34 | 32 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
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 | 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 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 32 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | SE 5 | ESE 9 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | — | E 8 | E 5 | E 5 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 7 | 78 | 55 | 46 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 41 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 6 | — | 1 | 18 | 13 | 32 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | ESE 8 | NE 9 | ENE 8 | E 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ENE 5 |
| kJ | 14 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | 24 | 34 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | E 8 | — | E 8 | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | E 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 6 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ESE 5 | — | SE 4 | SSE 2 | — | SE 6 | S 4 | SW 4 | SSE 4 | SW 4 | N 3 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | ESE 5 | — | SE 3 | S 3 |
| kJ | 69 | 9 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 26 | 33 | 10 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 79 | 67 | 51 | — | 2 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 404 | 175 | 137 | 481 | 0 | 78 | 1664 | 481 | 78 | 218 | 0 | 138 | 395 | 242 | 1137 | 1137 | 0 | 0 | 185 | 0 |
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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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