Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, SE swell with 69 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with SE 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s 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 0.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.
Well, it’s a pretty quiet start for the Croatan area. The first week or so is looking lean. From Thursday the 30th of July all the way through to the 7th of August, you’re mainly looking at tiny, weak swells averaging around 1ft to 2ft from the SE, with short periods. The wave energy is really low, sitting in the 20s to low 50s (22-54). Winds are a mix, but mostly cross or cross-onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. There’s honestly nothing worth paddling out for during this stretch. It’s a big gap of poor conditions.
Hold on though, because things start to change around Saturday the 8th of August. That morning we see a jump in the swell to 3ft from the ESE, with a period of 11 seconds. The energy bumps up to 227, and it’s clean under cross-offshore winds. It’s still a bit marginal, but it’s a sign of life. The swell builds into Sunday the 9th of August, with 4ft ESE swell at a nice 12-second period. The energy is solid at 457, and with light offshore winds in the morning, it’s going to be clean. The swell direction matches up well with the optimum. This is the standout window. The waves will have proper shape and push, though at 4ft it’s still manageable for most. Monday the 10th of August keeps that 4ft ESE swell going with a 12-second period, and again, morning windows with offshore wind look good. The energy is still high in the 420s. After that, the wind turns onshore from the east, and the quality drops off fast, with the swell fading by the 14th of August.
The real standout is the morning of Sunday the 9th of August. Croatan’s beach/jetty setup should have some clean, punchy lines from the ESE. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing crazy. It’s a beginner-friendly break, so expect a crowd, especially on a Sunday. Keep your eyes on that Monday morning, too.
That’s the skinny from here. Good luck, and paddle hard.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 23°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Mon afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 6 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 27 | 44 | 67 | 60 | 54 | 41 | 23 | 23 | 31 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:39PM1.13m | 9:02AM0.95m | 9:17PM1.12m | 9:42AM0.99m | 9:55PM1.11m | 10:21AM1.02m | 10:33PM1.08m | 11:02AM1.06m | 11:13PM1.04m | 11:44AM1.09m | 11:56PM0.99m | 12:29PM1.12m | 00:42AM0.94m | ||||||
Low Tide | 2:57AM0.06m | 2:58PM0.10m | 3:32AM0.03m | 3:40PM0.11m | 4:08AM0.02m | 4:22PM0.12m | 4:45AM0.02m | 5:09PM0.14m | 5:25AM0.02m | 5:59PM0.15m | 6:09AM0.03m | 6:54PM0.16m | |||||||
 | | |  | |  | | | | | | |  |  | |  |  |  |  | |
 | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | 8:13 | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 28 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
Feels °C | 29 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SE 8 | SE 7 | NE 6 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | E 8 |
| kJ | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 27 | 1 | 67 | 60 | 54 | 41 | 23 | 23 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | N 4 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 8 | SE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | E 5 | — | E 13 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | E 9 | — | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — | E 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | — | 2 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 6 | SSE 3 | — | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 7 |
| kJ | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | — | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 138 | 176 | 289 | 175 | 176 | 593 | 175 | 622 | 1129 | 799 | 145 | 622 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 242 | 694 | 594 |
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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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