Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Croatan. We’re looking at a pretty quiet 16-day stretch, but there are a couple of windows where it might be worth a paddle.

The overall pattern is dominated by small, weak swell for the first week. The water is sitting at 80°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the full suit at home.

We start with pretty much nothing. From Wednesday the 26th through to the end of August, the swell is tiny, mostly 1ft to 2ft. The winds are a mess – cross-on, onshore, or just plain choppy. It’s a flat spell. There’s a brief moment early Friday morning the 28th where a light offshore (W) pops up, with 2ft from the E, but it’s short-lived and the energy is weak (56). Not worth rushing for.

We hit a real gap from the 29th of August right through to the end of the month. Saturday and Sunday mornings are glassy, but with only 1ft of ESE swell, it’s just not enough to get you out of bed. The combined energy is in the 20s and 30s – that’s very weak.

Then we get a bit of a run starting Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning is clean with a WNW offshore, but the swell is only 1ft. Not great. Wednesday the 2nd sees a bit more hope: 2ft from the ESE with a period of 11 seconds early. That’s a longer period, so it’ll have a bit more push (energy at 83), and the morning looks clean. Still, it’s very small.

The next real standout comes on Monday the 7th of September. The morning shows 2ft from the ENE (10 second period) with a clean cross-off from the NNW (15 mph). The energy is up to 135. The afternoon is even better – 2ft of ENE swell with an 11-second period and a clean cross-off from the NW. This is the best swell direction for Croatan, and the energy is moderate (148). Winds are moderate but clean, so it’ll be rideable. It’s not big, but it’s the best we’ll see.

Tuesday the 8th holds some clean offshore wind (WNW) in the morning with 2ft of ENE swell, energy at 124. It’s surfable.

Don’t get too excited about the 9th of September. The morning has 4ft from the SE, but it’s a short period windswell (5 seconds) with a cross-off. That’s a messy combination. The afternoon jumps to 5ft but it’s cross-shore and short period, so it’ll be a bit of a washing machine.

The best on offer is Monday the 7th of September. The break is Croatan, a beach and jetty setup. Swell is 2ft from the ENE, with a solid 11-second period. The wind is a clean cross-off from the NW (12 mph). It’s not a big day, but for this stretch, it’s the cleanest, most consistent-looking surf. The energy is moderate (148), and the direction matches the optimum. The crowd factor is “often” here, so there will be a few locals out, but it’s nothing to worry about.

After that, the 10th sees the swell drop right back off. It’s a long wait for a small window.

Rusty signing off.

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