Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 4s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period, SSE swell with 33 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 4s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s 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 0.6m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 4s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 4s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this stretch is a tough one. We've got a whole lot of flat, poor, and downright frustrating conditions to wade through before anything even starts to look interesting.
Right now, through the end of August and into the first few days of September, it's a desert out there. Croatan is seeing nothing but tiny, weak slop. Most mornings you're looking at a paltry 1ft of swell with combined energy barely getting out of the double digits (33), and it's either cross-onshore or straight onshore. The water temp is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year at 81°, but that's about the only highlight. There's a long, dry gap of over a week here with absolutely nothing worth paddling out for. Don't bother.
Now, things finally start to stir around Tuesday the 1st of September. We see a pulse of energy arrive, with the swell height jumping to 6ft from the E. The combined energy rockets up to 221 in the morning and a massive 1018 in the afternoon – that's serious power. The wind is clean and cross-off in the morning, which is a huge plus. The problem is, the period in the morning is a short 6 seconds, so it'll be a bit crumbly. The afternoon brings a much longer 13-second period, but the wind goes cross-shore, so you'll be dealing with a bit of chop. For the experienced crew, the Tuesday afternoon session could have some grunt, but for most, it's still a tricky call.
After that little spike, we're right back to the doldrums. The rest of the forecast into the second week is a return to tiny, weak, and messy conditions. For a spot like Croatan, this kind of long, blank run is more normal. It won't stay poor forever, and forecasts can change, but right now there's nothing to get excited about.
Stay patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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) | E 13 | S 4 | E 8 | E 12 | E 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 13 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 13 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 25 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:22PM1.01m | 4:43AM0.77m | 5:19PM1.04m | 5:41AM0.82m | 6:08PM1.08m | 6:29AM0.89m | 6:51PM1.12m | 7:11AM0.96m | 7:30PM1.15m | 7:51AM1.03m | 8:09PM1.17m | 8:31AM1.09m | 8:47PM1.17m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:51PM0.31m | 10:36AM0.27m | 11:43PM0.27m | 11:32AM0.24m | 00:29AM0.22m | 12:24PM0.20m | 1:09AM0.16m | 1:10PM0.16m | 1:46AM0.11m | 1:54PM0.12m | 2:21AM0.06m | 2:35PM0.09m | 2:57AM0.03m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — |
mm | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Temp °C | 27 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 29 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 6 | NNE 4 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 14 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 11 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 25 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 12 | SSE 5 | E 7 | SE 5 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | — | E 6 | E 15 | E 14 | E 10 | E 12 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | SE 6 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 14 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 22 | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 25 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 13 | NE 6 | E 12 | ESE 7 | SE 6 | — | E 7 | E 7 | SSE 5 | S 6 | E 7 | NE 6 | E 6 | E 13 | E 8 | E 12 | SSE 4 | ENE 5 | E 10 |
| kJ | 14 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | S 4 | WSW 3 | — | — | NNE 3 | ESE 5 | NE 5 | NNE 4 | — | SE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | E 4 | E 4 | E 4 | — | — | — | SW 3 |
| kJ | 2 | 17 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 5 | 1 | 11 | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 78 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 197 | 138 | 138 | 294 | 175 | 176 | 175 | 126 | 138 | 747 | 0 | 78 | 1132 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
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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