Croatan Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.79° N 75.96° W

Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 26 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Croatan sea temperature is
24.3° C
1.6° 

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


Croatan surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 7s period, S swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 7s period, S swell with 377 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 5s 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s 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 2.0m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 11AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Wed 29th Jul)4.5ft (1.4m) 5s
Best Surf 5AM (Wed 29th Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 7s
Most Powerful 5AM (Wed 29th Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 7s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty, and I gotta level with you. It’s a tough stretch ahead for the Croatan area. Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and lackluster, so keep your expectations real low.

We start off with a long quiet spell. From the 26th of July right through until the 30th, it’s basically a write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 2ft with a short period around 8 seconds, and the combined energy is weak (52). The wind is all over the place, often cross or onshore, and the water is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 76°. There’s just nothing to get excited about.

The first faint glimmer of something surfable shows up on the morning of Thursday, the 30th of July. The swell bumps up to a mere 2ft from the SE, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is still low (42), but the wind goes cross-offshore from the NW, cleaning things up. We’re still talking about waves that are barely rideable, but at least the surface will be smooth. By Thursday afternoon, the energy nudges up to 46, and it’s surfable, but only just.

We get a little more energy on Sunday, the 2nd of August. The swell picks up to 3ft from the SE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 121. That’s the most push we’ll see, but the wind is light and cross-onshore, which will mess with the shape. Still, it’s the best of a bad bunch.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums for the rest of the first week and into the second. The swell stays below 2ft, the direction wobbles around, and the energy is just a trickle. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Saturday, the 8th of August, where it’s glassy and the swell is 2ft from the E with a 9-second period, but the energy is low (50). It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for anything.

Then again on Sunday, the 9th of August, the morning has a clean cross-offshore wind with a tiny 1ft swell from the ENE. It’s rideable, but tiny.

Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The best bet is the afternoon of the 2nd of August for the most size, but even that is pretty ordinary. The rest of the window is a big gap of poor conditions. For a beginner-friendly spot like Croatan, it’s just not worth the paddle. If you’re desperate for a water fix, you’d be better off looking elsewhere, but don’t hold your breath on the forecasts changing.

This is Rusty, signing off.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
AM
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
0
0
0
1
0
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)
0.5
ESE
8
0.5
ESE
8
0.5
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
1.4
SSE
5
1
SE
7
0.7
SE
7
0.6
SE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
7
0.5
SE
7
0.4
SE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
35
35
33
22
22
22
25
24
109
102
47
36
40
43
24
42
34
23
14
22
11
Wind (km/h)
10
N
15
E
10
S
10
SE
5
ENE
10
WSW
15
S
15
SSE
10
SW
20
NNW
10
NNE
15
NW
20
NW
15
NNW
10
W
15
NNE
10
ENE
5
SSE
10
E
15
SE
10
SSE
Wind State
cross
on
cross
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross
cross-on
cross
on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
6:37PM1.08m
6:56AM0.81m
7:20PM1.10m
7:40AM0.86m
8:00PM1.12m
8:21AM0.91m
8:39PM1.13m
9:02AM0.95m
9:17PM1.12m
9:42AM0.99m
9:55PM1.11m
10:21AM1.02m
10:33PM1.08m
Low Tide
11:58AM0.18m
1:06AM0.17m
12:48PM0.16m
1:45AM0.13m
1:34PM0.13m
2:22AM0.09m
2:17PM0.11m
2:57AM0.06m
2:58PM0.10m
3:32AM0.03m
3:40PM0.11m
4:08AM0.02m
4:22PM0.12m
4:45AM0.02m
clear
clear
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
cloud
thunderstorm
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:03
6:05
6:05
6:05
6:07
6:07
6:09
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:15
8:15
8:14
8:13
8:12
8:10
8:09
 mm
3
5
3
2
9
2
Temp °C
23
24
23
25
28
26
27
30
26
25
28
26
24
26
26
24
25
23
25
26
26
Feels °C
24
24
22
27
30
29
29
30
27
25
29
28
23
27
28
25
26
25
27
26
28
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Croatan:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

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.

Nearest locationNearest