Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next sixteen days at Croatan are looking pretty grim for the most part. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and a whole lot of wind in the wrong direction. There’s not a single standout session in the whole 16-day window, so we’re just gonna walk through the periods where there’s even a glimmer of hope.

First up, we’ve got a real gap here. From Monday the 20th right through the middle of the week, it’s mostly flat with onshore breezes. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is about normal for this time of year, not unusual.

The first real tick of activity shows up on the afternoon of Wednesday the 22nd. Swell bumps up to 6 ft from the S with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 289 in the morning, jumping to 526 in the afternoon. That’s some moderate wave energy. Winds are a cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 9 mph, so it’ll be clean. The problem is that this is a beach/jetty setup, and with a short-period swell and those conditions, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a good paddle session. Croatan is a beginner-friendly beach break, but anything over 5 ft is getting too big for beginners, and at 6 ft, it’s a bit more than a learner wants. The crowd factor is a worry too – they’re ‘often’ there, so expect company.

Moving into Thursday the 23rd, the wind clocks around to a fresh N at 19 mph, creating a messy cross-shore chop. The swell drops to 3 ft and the energy falls to 133. Not worth getting wet.

Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are a write-off – constant cross-onshore winds from the ENE and NE, with tiny swell under 4 ft and weak energy. The whole weekend is a bust.

The following week (starting Monday the 27th) is all tiny, weak swell. The only day that even gets a sniff is Wednesday the 29th, with a 2 ft SE swell showing a 9-second period and 101 combined energy. Winds are cross-shore from the NNE at 9 mph, making it a bit lumpy. Still, it’s poor surf.

The last real chance is on Monday the 3rd of August. The morning shows a 4 ft SSE swell, but with a period of just 4 seconds and combined energy of 42. Winds are clean and cross-off from the SW at 12 mph, but the swell is too short-period and weak to do much with. Tuesday the 4th of August morning shows a tiny 2 ft SSE swell with a clean offshore breeze from the WSW at 12 mph, but the energy is only 45 – just a weak, surfable wave.

In short, there’s no good surf on offer in this 16-day window. For Croatan, this kind of blank run is pretty normal when the wind doesn’t play ball. The forecasts can change, but right now, keep your board in the car and wait for a better day.

Rusty.

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