Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period, ESE swell with 88 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period with ESE 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be offshore 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. We're looking at the Croatan stretch, and I gotta be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and sad for the most part. We've got a long stretch of almost nothing to start, so don't be in a rush.
Right now, through the end of August and into the first week of September, it's a write-off. The swell is tiny, barely 1ft, coming from the ESE but with lousy onshore and cross-onshore winds. The combined swell energy is weak, barely cracking double digits (24 to 46). It's small, choppy, and just not worth paddling out. That stretch of poor conditions runs from the 29th of August all the way into the first few days of September. Save your energy.
We finally see a tiny glimmer of hope on the morning of Wednesday, the 2nd of September. Croatan picks up a bit of 2ft ESE groundswell with a period hitting 11 seconds. That longer period will give it a little push, and with a light offshore WSW breeze, it'll be clean. The energy is still weak (72), but it's the best we've seen. It's surfable, but very ordinary. Same deal again on the morning of Thursday, the 3rd of September – similar small 1ft swell with clean conditions thanks to a WNW wind. For a true beginner, these mornings are actually your best bet, but don't expect much.
The next potential highlight doesn't appear until the morning of Tuesday, the 8th of September. The swell is still tiny at 1ft, but the period jumps up to 13 seconds from the SE. That's a proper long-period groundswell for this spot, which will bring some sneaky energy. The combined swell energy is getting stronger at 81. The best part? Glassy conditions with a 3 mph easterly. For a beach/jetty setup like Croatan, that long period might make it a bit straight, but with zero wind, it'll be the cleanest little waves you'll see in this forecast window.
Looking further out, Wednesday morning, the 9th of September, sees the biggest push in the whole outlook. Swell jumps to 2ft from the ESE with an 11-second period, and the combined energy finally breaks into three digits at 132 (moderate wave energy). With a clean cross-offshore wind from the SSW, this is far and away the standout. It's still only small, but for this region in this window, that's the pick of the bunch. The water temp is sitting around 79°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than the long-term average for this time of year – a nice little anomaly making those mornings a bit more pleasant.
After that, we trail off into smaller, choppier surf for the second week. There are a few mornings with clean conditions from a cross-offshore breeze, like Thursday the 10th and Sunday the 13th, but the swell is weak and the period is short. Not much to write home about.
Overall, the standout is the morning of Wednesday, 9th of September. It's not pumping, but it's the best combo of modest swell (2ft ESE), moderate energy (132), and good wind we're going to get. The other decent call is the glassy morning of Tuesday, 8th of September, for the cleanest look at that long-period swell.
Keep your expectations in check, but don't throw the wetsuit in the bin just yet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Warm (max 34°C on Wed afternoon, min 25°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ENE 7 | SE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
25 | 24 | 24 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 12 | 17 | 46 | 64 | 56 | 47 | 31 | 30 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 9:10AM1.15m | 9:26PM1.15m | 9:50AM1.19m | 10:06PM1.12m | 10:32AM1.22m | 10:49PM1.07m | 11:16AM1.23m | 11:34PM1.02m | 12:04PM1.23m | 00:23AM0.97m | 12:57PM1.22m | 1:18AM0.93m | 1:58PM1.20m | 2:22AM0.91m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:17PM0.08m | 3:34AM0.02m | 4:01PM0.09m | 4:12AM0.02m | 4:47PM0.11m | 4:54AM0.04m | 5:38PM0.14m | 5:40AM0.06m | 6:35PM0.17m | 6:32AM0.09m | 7:36PM0.20m | 7:31AM0.11m | 8:40PM0.21m | ||||||||
6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
— | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 25 |
Feels °C | 27 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 36 | 33 | 32 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 4 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | NE 7 | S 4 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 |
25 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 13 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 12 | 11 | 46 | 64 | 56 | 47 | 31 | 25 | 9 | 21 | 20 | 18 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 8 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | SSW 4 | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | ESE 9 | ENE 7 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 6 | 20 | 4 | — | 2 | 4 | 30 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | E 9 | — | E 14 | ESE 13 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | — | — | NE 7 | — | ESE 8 | — | NE 4 | — |
10 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | — | 4 | 17 | 12 | 4 | — | — | 7 | — | 14 | — | 3 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | — | SE 2 | SSW 3 | SSW 3 | SE 3 | S 3 | S 2 | SSE 4 | S 5 | — | — | SE 3 | SSW 3 | — | W 3 | — | — | SE 3 |
9 | 10 | 11 | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 27 | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 6 | — | — | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 242 | 95 | 138 | 138 | 2009 | 289 | 138 | 1129 | 138 | 138 | 745 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 0 | 639 | 0 | 138 | 469 | 242 |
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.











