Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, SE swell with 59 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s 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 (Aug 18) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next two weeks at Croatan are mostly a flat spell. There’s a long stretch of small, weak, and often messy surf ahead, but we do have one late window that might get the heart beating a little faster.
The first real surf we can talk about isn’t until Wednesday, August 26. That’s a full week of waiting, with nothing but tiny, poor-condition waves from now through the 25th. Those early days show swell around 1ft to 2ft, mostly short-period (7-9 seconds), and the combined wave energy barely gets into double digits or low triple digits (26-63 range). Not worth paddling out for.
On Wednesday, August 26th, we finally see a pulse. The morning brings a clean 2ft SE swell, but the real story is the period jumping to 16 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. Combined energy hits 158 (moderate). The wind is a light offshore (SW 9 mph), so Croatan should be clean. It’s a beach/jetty setup, so that long period might make it a bit straight, but for a spot that’s been dead, this is the best on offer. It’s still small, but the quality is there.
The next morning, Thursday the 27th, offers similar conditions: 2ft ESE swell with a 12-second period, clean offshore winds (SSW 12 mph), and wave energy holding in the moderate 173-175 range. Not a standout, but a solid follow-up.
Further out, Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th have some small windows. Saturday morning shows a clean 2ft SE swell (9 seconds, 110 energy). Sunday morning goes glassy with a bump in size to 4ft, but with a short 5-second period, so it’ll be fat and weak. That afternoon the swell hits 5ft (energy 201), but the period is still short at 5 seconds and the wind turns onshore (SE 6 mph), so it’s a marginal choice at best.
So, the real standout and the call of the outlook: get on it Wednesday, August 26, morning. It’s not big, but that 16-second period and clean offshore wind make it the best quality we’re going to see. The longer-range stuff on the 30th is more of a gamble. Croatan is a beginner-friendly beach break, and crowds are possible here, so keep an eye out.
Stay patient, but that one morning looks like a proper little gem.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 86mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu night, min 22°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 7 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 13 | SSE 5 | SSE 7 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 16 | 19 | 59 | 40 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 41 | 14 | 19 | 26 | 13 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | on |
High Tide | 11:58PM0.95m | 12:38PM1.12m | 00:42AM0.87m | 1:26PM1.07m | 1:30AM0.81m | 2:19PM1.03m | 2:26AM0.76m | 3:19PM1.01m | 3:33AM0.75m | 4:22PM1.01m | 4:43AM0.77m | 5:19PM1.04m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:14AM0.11m | 7:04PM0.23m | 7:00AM0.18m | 8:00PM0.28m | 7:49AM0.23m | 8:57PM0.31m | 8:42AM0.27m | 9:54PM0.32m | 9:38AM0.28m | 10:51PM0.31m | 10:36AM0.27m | 11:43PM0.27m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  | |  | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | 7:52 | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 11 | — | 9 | 33 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 19 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 23 |
Feels °C | 31 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | NE 5 | NE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 7 | NE 6 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | 16 | 19 | 59 | 40 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 26 | 5 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 12 | NNW 3 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | — | — | SE 5 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | E 13 | ESE 8 | NE 5 | NE 6 | E 12 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | — | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 13 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | — | E 13 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | 14 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | WNW 2 | N 3 | — | — | ESE 5 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 3 | S 4 | — | NNE 3 | NE 3 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | WSW 3 | SW 3 | SSE 4 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | — | 1 | 2 | 41 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 484 | 78 | 145 | 10 | 175 | 145 | 138 | 572 | 2301 | 803 | 356 | 881 | 176 | 78 | 78 | 204 | 78 | 196 | 185 |
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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