Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period, SSE swell with 47 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Croatan this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.9m 5s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one for the Croatan area (Virginia Beach). The next 16 days are looking mighty flat, with no real standouts to get excited about.
We’re kicking off Monday the 10th with tiny, weak 1ft swell from the SE, period a short 6 seconds. The combined swell energy is a paltry 14, so don’t expect much push. The water temperature is sitting at 80°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year – nothing crazy, just a touch of that summer warmth. Winds are glassy in the morning, but the surf is just too small to bother with. That flat spell hangs around through the middle of the week, with a tiny bump of 2ft on Friday the 14th under offshore winds, but the energy is still a weak 25. Not worth a trip.
The swell tries to pick up Saturday the 15th with a 3ft, 4-second windswell from the NE, but it’s onshore wind and messy. Energy climbs to 56, but it's still poor quality. We get a little more juice on Tuesday the 18th with a long-period groundswell from the ESE at 15 seconds, but the swell height is only 1ft. The energy is moderate at 160, but that long period is going to make it fat and straight on a beach break. Cross-onshore winds don’t help.
The best chance, and I mean the *only* chance for something surfable, comes right at the end. On Friday the 21st, we see a tiny 2ft ESE swell, but the wind goes offshore from the WSW in the afternoon. Energy is only 46, but it’s clean. The forecast says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the honest truth. It’s not a stand-out, but if you’re desperate, that’s your window.
The rest of the window is a write-off – onshore winds, tiny swell, or windswell. For a beginner spot like Croatan, anything over 5ft is too big, but we don’t even get close. This is a long, dry stretch. For the kite surfers, the consistent onshore wind and chop on a few days might be more interesting than paddling. Forecasts can always change, but right now, there’s not much to recommend.
Stay patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 6 | SE 6 | S 4 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | SE 5 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 39 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 6 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | off | cross | cross | off | off | cross-off | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | off |
High Tide | 6:33PM1.29m | 6:57AM1.05m | 7:27PM1.31m | 7:52AM1.12m | 8:17PM1.30m | 8:44AM1.17m | 9:05PM1.27m | 9:33AM1.21m | 9:50PM1.21m | 10:21AM1.21m | 10:33PM1.13m | 11:07AM1.20m | 11:16PM1.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:59AM-0.03m | 1:02AM0.01m | 12:59PM-0.07m | 1:52AM-0.04m | 1:56PM-0.09m | 2:39AM-0.07m | 2:48PM-0.08m | 3:23AM-0.08m | 3:38PM-0.04m | 4:05AM-0.06m | 4:28PM0.02m | 4:47AM-0.02m | 5:19PM0.10m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 30 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 32 | 35 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | E 10 | SE 6 | SE 6 | E 9 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | — | SW 4 | SE 8 | SE 6 | NE 5 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | E 13 | E 7 | E 7 | NE 4 | E 12 | SE 8 | S 6 | ESE 8 | NE 5 | NE 5 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 4 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | NE 4 | E 8 | E 8 | E 10 | E 13 | E 7 | — | E 12 | ESE 8 | S 6 | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 6 | 3 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 6 | S 4 | NNW 2 | SE 6 | NW 3 | NW 3 | N 3 | SSE 3 | — | SE 4 | — | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | — | SE 5 | SSE 4 | S 4 |
| kJ | — | 10 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 9 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 4 | — | 39 | 17 | — | 7 | 18 | 40 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 878 | 204 | 197 | 260 | 2696 | 1365 | 1260 | 1142 | 1239 | 395 | 800 | 540 | 540 | 540 | 176 | 469 | 1231 | 897 | 697 | 910 | 175 |
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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