Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 9s period, ENE swell with 90 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with ENE 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 (Sep 08) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.7m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what's cookin' for the Croatan stretch.
Overall, it's a pretty quiet picture, to be honest. We're lookin' at a long run of days with not much to get the heart pumpin', especially for the next week and a half. The swell energy is weak, with numbers mostly in the teens to low 40s, and a lot of that is short-period, sloppy stuff. The water temp is a balmy 83°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the wait will be a warm one.
The first hint of anything that's even surfable comes on Monday, September 14th, early in the morning. We're talkin' about a tiny 1ft swell from the ESE, with a period of 9 seconds. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so it will be clean. The energy reading is just 42, which is weak, so expect small, gutless waves. It's really just somethin' to wet the line on. The crowds at Croatan can be a problem, so on a tiny day like this, it might be a bit of a scrap for the few ankle-biters that roll through.
After that, we get another stretch of nothin' until Monday, September 21st. Monday mornin' shows a jump to 5ft from the north, with a short 5-second period and a combined energy of 148, which is still only moderate. The wind is cross-offshore, so it'll be clean. This is the closest thing to a standout in the entire forecast, but that short period means it's gonna be a bit lumpy and disorganised. It's better for more experienced surfers at that size. Monday afternoon sees a similar 5ft from the NNE, still short-period, but again clean with light cross-offshore wind. The energy climbs slightly to 152. This is your best bet, but it's a long way out, so keep your fingers crossed that the models hold.
So, in a nutshell, for the next two weeks, there is only one small window that might be worth paddlin' out, and that's the mornin' and afternoon of Monday the 21st. The rest is a whole lot of flat and choppy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 22°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 7 | SE 3 | S 4 | SE 7 | SSE 4 | SE 5 | SE 6 | NE 4 | NE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 24 | 19 | 31 | 42 | 90 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 19 | 10 | 26 | 28 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 20 | 23 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:18PM1.20m | 4:45AM0.98m | 5:24PM1.23m | 5:49AM1.06m | 6:20PM1.25m | 6:45AM1.15m | 7:10PM1.26m | 7:35AM1.22m | 7:56PM1.25m | 8:22AM1.28m | 8:39PM1.21m | 9:07AM1.30m | 9:21PM1.16m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:49PM0.17m | 10:47AM0.08m | 11:48PM0.12m | 11:51AM0.04m | 00:41AM0.06m | 12:50PM0.00m | 1:28AM0.01m | 1:44PM-0.02m | 2:11AM-0.02m | 2:33PM-0.01m | 2:51AM-0.02m | 3:18PM0.03m | 3:30AM0.00m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — |
 | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 32 | 29 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 7 | ENE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 9 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 |
| kJ | 8 | 8 | 31 | 42 | 90 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 28 | 3 | 24 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 23 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ENE 8 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ESE 9 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 6 | — | NNE 4 |
| kJ | 1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | — | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | S 5 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | NE 9 | — | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 11 | — | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 1 | 7 | 18 | — | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | — | SE 4 | — | — | SSE 3 | — | SE 3 | S 4 | SW 3 | SSE 4 | SW 4 | N 3 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 3 | NE 4 | E 3 |
| kJ | 24 | 19 | 23 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | 10 | 26 | 5 | 37 | 13 | 2 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 745 | 317 | 324 | 572 | 137 | 10 | 1132 | 78 | 78 | 481 | 481 | 290 | 204 | 137 | 176 | 481 | 242 | 1132 | 2865 | 242 |
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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