Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer.

Look, to be straight with you, this 16-day window is a tough one. There’s no standout swell, and most days are surfable but very ordinary at best. We’ve got a lot of small, weak energy and onshore or cross-onshore winds making a mess of things. There are a couple of brief windows where conditions clean up, but they’re short-lived. You’ll have to pick your moments carefully.

Croatan (beach/jetty) is the only spot in the game. Let’s start with this weekend. Saturday afternoon, 25 July, we see a tiny 3ft swell from the ENE with a short period of 6 seconds and weak energy (56). The wind is glassy from the NNE though, so it’ll be clean. The water is sitting at 77°, which is about 2° colder than normal – a bit nippy for this time of year. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Sunday morning, 26 July, the swell drops to 2ft from the ESE with 8 seconds, and the wind goes cross-shore, making it poor. That’s basically it for the weekend.

Monday and Tuesday are full of risk of thunderstorms and onshore winds, with tiny swell. Nothing doing. Then on Wednesday morning, 29 July, we get a bit of a pulse – a 4ft SE swell with a short 4-second period, but the combined energy is moderate at 130. The wind goes cross-offshore from the NW at 16 mph, cleaning it up. It’s still not great quality, but it’s the most energy we see in the first week. Wednesday afternoon the swell drops back to 2ft. The rest of that week into the next is mostly poor with small waves and choppy conditions.

We do get another glassy moment on Friday morning, 31 July, with a tiny 2ft NE swell and glassy NNW wind. Clean, but tiny.

The following week, from 02 August onward, is a real desert. The swell stays small, mostly under 3ft, with periods rarely hitting 8 seconds. There’s a brief window on Monday morning, 03 August, with a 2ft SE swell and glassy WNW wind, but again, very small. And again on Tuesday morning, 04 August, with a 2ft SE swell and glassy SSE wind. Both are clean but tiny.

Then from 05 August all the way through to 09 August, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions. The swell is consistently below 2ft, energy is weak (in the 20s and 30s), and wind is mostly cross-on or onshore. There’s a brief moment on Saturday morning, 08 August, with a 2ft SE swell and offshore wind from the W (9 mph) – it’ll be clean, but it’s just a tiny wave.

The best on offer for the whole period? It’s a toss-up, but I’d give the nod to Wednesday morning, 29 July. That 4ft SE swell with moderate energy (130) and clean, cross-offshore wind is as good as it gets here in the next two weeks. It’s not big, and the period is terrible at 4 seconds, but it’s the most push you’ll feel. After that, the glassy mornings on 03 August and 04 August are your best bet for a clean but tiny session.

Honestly, this is a classic flat spell for the area. Don’t expect any fireworks. Keep your eye on the forecast, because things can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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