Croatan Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.79° N 75.96° W

Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 31 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Croatan sea temperature is
26.3°C
1.4° 

Croatan surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Croatan surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, ESE swell with cross-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, 8AM (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 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. 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 0.7m 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 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep)1.5ft (0.5m) 11s
Best Surf 8AM (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. Let's talk about what we've got cookin' for the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a flat spell to start, so don't be in a rush to grab your board.

The outlook kicks off with a real quiet period. The first few days are pretty much a write-off for any real surfing. We're talking tiny, weak energy that won't get you excited. It's not until Wednesday morning, September 2nd that we see a glimmer of hope, but it's still on the small side.

Croatan is the only break in the game here. It's a beach and jetty setup, pretty consistent, but it's exposed. For most of this first week, you're looking at small swell, mostly under 2 feet, with a mix of cross-off and onshore breezes that keep things messy. The water temp is sittin' around 79°F with an anomaly of 3°F, so it's a touch warmer than normal for this time of year—nice for a long session.

The first real standout, if you can call it that, is Friday afternoon, September 4th. The wind goes glassy from the NNE, and while the swell is only 1 feet from the ESE, the conditions will be clean. The combined energy is a paltry 40, so it's weak, but at least it won't be choppy. You'll be on a longboard, just groovin'.

After that, we hit another wall of nothing. The surf stays tiny and messy right through the middle of the month. There's a solid stretch from the 6th to the 13th where the wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore, and the swell is either too small or too short-period to be any good. A lot of those days are marked as poor conditions, and the combined energy stays in the double digits, which is about as weak as it gets.

Then, Tuesday, September 15th rolls around, and things get interesting. The swell picks up to 4 feet from the NE, with a combined energy of 117—that's moderate energy. It's a short-period swell though (6 seconds), so it's not gonna have that groundswell punch. The wind is cross-shore from the north, which is okay but not perfect. It'll be lumpy. This is the best we get in the whole window, but at 4 feet, it's still small enough for most abilities.

In the end, there's no real stand-out session here. If you're desperate, the glassy Friday afternoon on the 4th or the slightly bigger Tuesday on the 15th are your best bets. But honestly, it's a pretty poor run. The forecasts can change, so don't lose all hope, but for now, I'd be makin' other plans.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 32°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 36°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Sat afternoon). Wind will be generally light.

Mon
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
ESE
7
0.4
ESE
7
0.4
SE
7
0.2
ESE
13
0.4
ESE
12
0.5
ESE
11
0.7
ESE
10
0.5
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.6
SSE
5
0.3
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.5
E
4
0.4
ENE
5
0.4
NE
5
0.6
ENE
4
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
21
19
12
17
46
64
85
47
31
30
17
13
26
13
6
6
9
9
6
12
Wind (km/h)
15
SSE
15
SSW
10
SW
15
SE
20
SW
10
NW
15
E
10
SW
10
W
15
ESE
15
E
15
W
5
NNE
10
N
15
N
15
NE
10
ENE
15
ENE
15
E
10
E
Wind State
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-off
off
on
on
off
glassy
cross
cross
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
on
High Tide
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
3:06PM1.19m
3:34AM0.92m
4:18PM1.20m
4:45AM0.98m
Low Tide
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
8:34AM0.12m
9:45PM0.20m
9:40AM0.10m
10:49PM0.17m
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:35
6:35
6:35
6:37
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:34
7:31
7:30
7:29
7:28
7:25
7:24
 mm
1
5
Temp °C
29
27
30
32
30
30
32
27
30
34
30
30
36
31
26
25
24
24
25
23
Feels °C
31
28
32
34
31
32
34
29
32
38
31
31
38
33
28
25
24
23
24
22
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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