Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, SE swell with 86 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period with E 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s 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 0.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
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 table for the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, this is a tough run. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy, and mostly unrideable surf. The first real chance to even paddle out doesn’t show up until Friday morning, the 28th of August, and even then it’s barely a whisper. The entire period before that is just a write-off for any decent wave riding.
Friday morning, the 28th, we get a little window. The swell at Croatan is a tiny 2 ft from the East, with a short period of 8 seconds, and the energy is weak (55). The big plus here is a glassy morning, so the surface will be clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Just enough to get wet if you’re desperate.
After that, don’t expect much. The next noteworthy moment is a few days later, on Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. The swell is still small at 1 ft, but it’s from the ESE with a period stretching out to 11 seconds. That’s some real groundswell energy, and with clean offshore winds from the WNW, it’s another “surfable but very ordinary” moment. The combined energy is still weak (56). It’s a fleeting chance before the wind swings and messes it up again.
The pattern holds through the second week. The swell does try to build a little around the 5th and 6th of September, with heights pushing 3 ft from the ENE and a period of 9 seconds, and the energy jumps into the moderate range (138 - 205). But the wind is a constant problem – it’s cross-onshore from the NE, blowing at 15 to 22 mph, making it choppy and lumpy. The comments say it all: “poor surf conditions.” By the time we get to the 8th, the wind cleans up, but the swell is already dropping. It’s a lot of waiting for very little payoff.
Honestly, the standout here is that Friday morning, the 28th of August, purely because it’s glassy. The wind is nil, and the water is a touch warmer than normal at 80°. If you have to pick a time, that’s your window. But don’t expect much.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 62mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 20°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | SE 8 | SSE 4 | E 8 | E 9 | SE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | S 5 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 22 | 86 | 26 | 36 | 40 | 39 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 21 | 12 | 26 | 26 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 29 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:30PM1.15m | 7:51AM1.03m | 8:09PM1.17m | 8:31AM1.09m | 8:47PM1.17m | 9:10AM1.15m | 9:26PM1.15m | 9:50AM1.19m | 10:06PM1.12m | 10:32AM1.22m | 10:49PM1.07m | 11:16AM1.23m | 11:34PM1.02m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:10PM0.16m | 1:46AM0.11m | 1:54PM0.12m | 2:21AM0.06m | 2:35PM0.09m | 2:57AM0.03m | 3:17PM0.08m | 3:34AM0.02m | 4:01PM0.09m | 4:12AM0.02m | 4:47PM0.11m | 4:54AM0.04m | 5:38PM0.14m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | 7 | — | 5 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 28 | 29 | 33 | 33 |
Feels °C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 31 | 35 | 30 | 31 | 35 | 34 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | E 15 | ESE 9 | SE 4 | E 9 | SE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 22 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 40 | 39 | 24 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 21 | 12 | 26 | 26 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 6 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 12 | E 8 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 8 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | E 9 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 4 | — | S 4 | E 13 | ESE 12 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 10 | 36 | 3 | 36 | 9 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 29 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | NE 6 | E 14 | E 13 | E 8 | E 12 | — | E 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | — | — | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | — | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 8 | SSE 4 | — | SE 4 | SW 3 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | — | NNE 2 | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SW 3 | SSE 4 | S 5 | — | — | S 3 |
| kJ | — | 86 | 26 | — | 25 | 2 | 15 | 15 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 540 | 1689 | 411 | 0 | 1132 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 78 | 138 | 178 | 138 | 242 | 980 | 852 | 481 | 1137 | 1137 | 2009 | 1137 | 0 |
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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