Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 4s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 11 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, SSE swell with 161 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 4s period with S 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 07) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 4s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m 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 1.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 4s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 4s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sat 11th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the waves coming our way.
First thing you need to know – the next week and a half is a bit of a write-off for any decent surf. We are looking at a long, dry spell from now until about the 18th of July. From Sunday the 5th right through to Friday the 17th, the surf is mostly tiny, messy, and not worth paddling out for. The winds are all over the shop, and the swell is too small to do anything with. You'll be sitting there bobbing around on a wobbly 1ft to 3ft wave, and it's just not going to be fun. The combined swell energy is weak, sitting in the 20s and 30s range for most of that time.
However, there is a bit of a pulse of energy showing up later. The real interest starts on Monday the 13th. The swell bumps up to a solid 6ft to 7ft from the ENE and NE, with moderate wave energy hitting 330 to 380. That's a proper size. But the wind is a cross-onshore from the NE, chopping it up. With that size and wind, it's going to be a messy, lumpy beast. The 6ft+ is getting too big for beginners, and the wind is making it a challenge for everyone. Honestly, for this stretch, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The best window we have is a couple of days later. The true standout is Saturday morning, July 18th. The break is Croatan. The swell is a clean 4ft from the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined swell energy is a moderate 237. What makes this the session is the wind: a gentle breeze from the SW, which is a clean cross-offshore. The water temperature is about average for the time of year. This is your best bet for a fun, clean surf session. The swell is a good size for intermediates, and the offshore wind will keep the faces clean. It's a beach/jetty setup, so it's fairly consistent, and it's exposed to the swell. Be aware that crowds are likely here.
The next morning, Sunday the 19th, shows a 6ft SSE swell but with a short 7-second period and a strong 16 mph offshore wind from the WSW. That's a lot of wind, and while it's offshore, it's going to be a breezy, bumpy session. The combined energy is a strong 347. This is more for the experts who can handle the power and the wind chop.
So, to sum it up: don't even bother until the 18th. The 13th is big but messy. The 18th is your cleanest, most fun window.
Stay patient, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 33°C on Sat night, min 24°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 37°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Sat 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 18 | 14 | 24 | 25 | 16 | 49 | 26 | 18 | 18 | 34 | 31 | 40 | 16 | 14 | 49 | 22 | 30 | 21 | 161 | 44 | 23 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 11:39PM1.00m | 12:14PM0.95m | 00:22AM0.96m | 12:59PM1.00m | 1:08AM0.92m | 1:48PM1.05m | 2:00AM0.89m | 2:43PM1.10m | 3:00AM0.86m | 3:43PM1.15m | 4:05AM0.86m | 4:45PM1.21m | 5:10AM0.88m | 5:46PM1.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:00AM0.04m | 6:22PM0.18m | 6:43AM0.03m | 7:17PM0.18m | 7:29AM0.02m | 8:15PM0.16m | 8:19AM0.01m | 9:14PM0.13m | 9:12AM-0.01m | 10:16PM0.09m | 10:09AM-0.02m | 11:19PM0.05m | 11:09AM-0.05m | ||||||||
 |  | |  | | |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
 | 8:25 | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | 1 | 37 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 33 | 30 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 24 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 37 | 32 | 28 | 29 |
Feels °C | 34 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 24 | 32 | 35 | 32 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 36 | 31 | 29 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | — | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | — | 26 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 31 | 40 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 22 | 30 | 21 | 161 | 44 | 23 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 5 | SE 6 | E 11 | ENE 6 | SSE 4 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 7 | NE 6 | E 13 | E 10 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 5 | E 8 | E 10 | NE 6 | NE 6 | E 6 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | WSW 3 | — | — | S 5 | — | N 3 | — | — | SE 8 | S 4 | SW 3 | S 4 | WSW 3 | N 4 | NNE 4 |
| kJ | 18 | 10 | 24 | 25 | 13 | 49 | 2 | — | — | 34 | — | 3 | — | — | 49 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 175 | 175 | 1142 | 137 | 484 | 1142 | 0 | 137 | 1129 | 0 | 176 | 176 | 176 | 334 | 1689 | 0 | 14 | 79 | 0 | 0 | 165 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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