Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 4 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period, SSE swell with 319 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period with SSE 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 (Aug 04) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m 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 1.6m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I’m lookin’ at the charts for Croatan and it’s a pretty bleak picture for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead, but honestly, there’s hardly a day in there that’s gonna get you stoked.
The first real chance of anything comes in on Monday, August 3rd. The swell bumps up to about 5ft from the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 242. That’s a little pulse, but the wind is a cross-off from the SSW, keepin’ the surface clean. Still, it’s only a marginal call – the score is low, and the tide or conditions just aren’t lining up. By the afternoon, the swell pushes a little more to 5ft, but it’s still just a “questionable” kind of day. Not great, not terrible, but for a beginner spot like this, it’s probably the best you’re gonna get.
After that, the rest of the run is mostly flat or weak. The swell drops off and stays below 3ft for days on end – Tuesday through the end of the outlook, we’re lookin’ at tiny, weak waves with short periods and almost no energy. The combined energy readings are mostly in the double digits, way below 100, which is about as weak as it gets. There’s a flash of a 0.7ft swell on the 12th with a 12-second period, but that’s just a ghost. The water temp is around 77°F, which is about average for this time of year – nothing unusual.
The wind is all over the place, too. A lot of cross and cross-off breezes, but nothing that’s gonna make these tiny waves look any better. On the 10th, the NE wind picks up to 19 mph and it’s cross-onshore, makin’ for lumpy, messy conditions – not even worth paddlin’ out for.
Honestly, this is a quiet stretch for Croatan. If you’re a beginner, maybe Monday the 3rd morning gives you a chance to get wet on some clean, knee-to-waist high stuff, but don’t expect much. For the rest of the fortnight, it’s a blank run. The area just isn’t offerin’ any surf worth writin’ home about. Check back in a week – forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a no-go.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Wed afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 4 | S 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 39 | 99 | 277 | 242 | 283 | 145 | 82 | 62 | 80 | 43 | 28 | 53 | 27 | 34 | 46 | 33 | 28 | 25 | 58 | 33 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:02AM1.06m | 11:13PM1.04m | 11:44AM1.09m | 11:56PM0.99m | 12:29PM1.12m | 00:42AM0.94m | 1:20PM1.14m | 1:35AM0.90m | 2:16PM1.16m | 2:36AM0.87m | 3:20PM1.18m | 3:44AM0.87m | 4:28PM1.21m | 4:54AM0.91m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:09PM0.14m | 5:25AM0.02m | 5:59PM0.15m | 6:09AM0.03m | 6:54PM0.16m | 6:58AM0.04m | 7:53PM0.17m | 7:51AM0.05m | 8:54PM0.16m | 8:48AM0.05m | 9:58PM0.15m | 9:50AM0.03m | 11:03PM0.12m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
mm | 3 | — | 2 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 5 | 5 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 28 |
Feels °C | 29 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | — | SSE 8 | — | E 13 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | NNE 5 | NE 4 | E 10 | SE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | ESE 7 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | — | 242 | — | 4 | 82 | 62 | 47 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 58 | 1 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | NE 5 | E 9 | E 9 | E 13 | E 10 | E 11 | — | — | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | NE 9 | E 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 11 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 8 | SW 4 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | — | — | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SW 3 | SE 4 | S 4 |
| kJ | 39 | 99 | 277 | 7 | 283 | 145 | — | — | 80 | 43 | 28 | 53 | 27 | 34 | 46 | 33 | 28 | 25 | 2 | 33 | 19 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1365 | 2001 | 881 | 210 | 210 | 0 | 352 | 4 | 16 | 622 | 78 | 0 | 210 | 622 | 391 | 14 | 1141 | 353 | 0 | 411 | 217 |
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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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