Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 7s period, ENE swell with 363 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s 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 Tuesday (Jul 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 2.1m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next 16 days for our local stretch.
The honest truth is, we’re looking at a pretty flat run. The first solid recommendation doesn’t come until Wednesday the 15th, and even then it’s a small one. There’s a big gap of nothing to recommend before that, so don’t bother checking the water until then.
Croatan (beach/jetty)
The first real chance to get wet comes on Wednesday morning, July 15th. It’s small, with waves around 2ft coming from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds. The combined wave energy is a weak 44. The wind is light offshore from the WNW, so the surface should be clean. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, and the water temp is about average for this time of year. It’s fairly consistent here, so you might get a couple, but it’s not going to be anything to write home about. The crowd is often around, so expect a few other heads in the lineup.
Thursday the 16th sees the swell drop even further to 1ft. The wind is offshore from the NNW in the morning, keeping it clean, but the energy is just a paltry 13. It’s really not worth paddling out for.
Friday the 17th is a bit stronger with 3ft from the NE, but the period is a short 4 seconds and the wind is cross-on from the NNE. The energy is still weak at 46. It’s a messy, poor surf day.
The following week stays poor. There’s a tiny blip on Wednesday the 22nd with a clean 1ft wave and a light offshore wind from the W, but the energy is pitiful at 19. Not worth a trip.
The closest thing to a standout in this whole 16-day window is Monday morning, July 27th. The swell picks up to 5ft from the S, with a period of 5 seconds. The combined energy climbs to 108, which is at least moderate. The wind is cross-off from the SSW, which should keep it fairly clean. It’s the biggest wave of the forecast, but it’s still a short-period swell, so it’ll be a bit dumpy. It’s the best on offer, but it’s 12 days away, so keep an eye on the forecasts.
Bottom line: there’s almost nothing to get excited about. The conditions are generally poor, with onshore winds and tiny swell. It’s a pretty blank run, which is normal for this area when the pattern goes quiet. Don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 56mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Warm (max 28°C on Sat night, min 20°C on Mon morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the E by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 33°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Sat 18 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 4 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 12 | 13 | 16 | 235 | 277 | 355 | 312 | 170 | 112 | 45 | 43 | 40 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 29 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 6:12AM0.92m | 6:44PM1.32m | 7:11AM0.97m | 7:40PM1.34m | 8:07AM1.02m | 8:34PM1.34m | 9:02AM1.07m | 9:26PM1.30m | 9:56AM1.10m | 10:15PM1.24m | 10:48AM1.11m | 11:03PM1.16m | 11:39AM1.11m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 00:21AM-0.00m | 12:10PM-0.09m | 1:19AM-0.05m | 1:10PM-0.12m | 2:12AM-0.10m | 2:07PM-0.14m | 3:02AM-0.12m | 3:02PM-0.13m | 3:50AM-0.12m | 3:56PM-0.09m | 4:38AM-0.10m | 4:50PM-0.03m | 5:25AM-0.06m | 5:46PM0.04m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — |
 | 8:23 | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 |
mm | 1 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 32 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 |
Temp °C | 28 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 33 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 31 |
Feels °C | 30 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 31 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 32 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 12 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 112 | 45 | 43 | 40 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | NE 7 | N 6 | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | S 4 | — | E 15 | S 7 | S 7 | ESE 8 | ENE 4 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | E 15 | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 |
| kJ | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 4 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | — | — | — | SE 2 | SSW 4 | — | N 3 | N 2 | NE 4 | NE 4 | — | SW 2 | SSE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | 16 | 235 | 277 | 355 | 312 | 170 | — | — | — | 1 | 14 | — | 1 | 1 | 29 | 16 | — | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 138 | 176 | 927 | 242 | 242 | 242 | 242 | 165 | 172 | 0 | 0 | 138 | 292 | 299 | 897 | 176 | 771 | 2310 | 299 | 1231 | 572 |
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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