Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We're looking at the Croatan stretch, and I gotta be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and sad for the most part. We've got a long stretch of almost nothing to start, so don't be in a rush.

Right now, through the end of August and into the first week of September, it's a write-off. The swell is tiny, barely 1ft, coming from the ESE but with lousy onshore and cross-onshore winds. The combined swell energy is weak, barely cracking double digits (24 to 46). It's small, choppy, and just not worth paddling out. That stretch of poor conditions runs from the 29th of August all the way into the first few days of September. Save your energy.

We finally see a tiny glimmer of hope on the morning of Wednesday, the 2nd of September. Croatan picks up a bit of 2ft ESE groundswell with a period hitting 11 seconds. That longer period will give it a little push, and with a light offshore WSW breeze, it'll be clean. The energy is still weak (72), but it's the best we've seen. It's surfable, but very ordinary. Same deal again on the morning of Thursday, the 3rd of September – similar small 1ft swell with clean conditions thanks to a WNW wind. For a true beginner, these mornings are actually your best bet, but don't expect much.

The next potential highlight doesn't appear until the morning of Tuesday, the 8th of September. The swell is still tiny at 1ft, but the period jumps up to 13 seconds from the SE. That's a proper long-period groundswell for this spot, which will bring some sneaky energy. The combined swell energy is getting stronger at 81. The best part? Glassy conditions with a 3 mph easterly. For a beach/jetty setup like Croatan, that long period might make it a bit straight, but with zero wind, it'll be the cleanest little waves you'll see in this forecast window.

Looking further out, Wednesday morning, the 9th of September, sees the biggest push in the whole outlook. Swell jumps to 2ft from the ESE with an 11-second period, and the combined energy finally breaks into three digits at 132 (moderate wave energy). With a clean cross-offshore wind from the SSW, this is far and away the standout. It's still only small, but for this region in this window, that's the pick of the bunch. The water temp is sitting around 79°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than the long-term average for this time of year – a nice little anomaly making those mornings a bit more pleasant.

After that, we trail off into smaller, choppier surf for the second week. There are a few mornings with clean conditions from a cross-offshore breeze, like Thursday the 10th and Sunday the 13th, but the swell is weak and the period is short. Not much to write home about.

Overall, the standout is the morning of Wednesday, 9th of September. It's not pumping, but it's the best combo of modest swell (2ft ESE), moderate energy (132), and good wind we're going to get. The other decent call is the glassy morning of Tuesday, 8th of September, for the cleanest look at that long-period swell.

Keep your expectations in check, but don't throw the wetsuit in the bin just yet.

Rusty.

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