Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 15s period, ESE swell with 42 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.3m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the Croatan stretch over the next couple of weeks. I’ll tell ya straight up – it’s a grim run for most of it, so don’t be in a rush to wax up just yet.
To start, the water temperature is sitting at about 80°, which is a bit warmer than usual for this time of year, so the water'll feel nice if you do get in.
We are looking at a long, dry spell. From Tuesday, 11 August, all the way through to the morning of Wednesday, 26 August, there’s basically nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, often under 2 ft, with short, weak periods. The combined wave energy is mostly in the double digits, barely cracking 100. It’s a lot of poor surf conditions, cross-shore junk, and onshore slop. For a beach/jetty spot like Croatan, that’s a real bummer.
Finally, on the morning of Wednesday, 26 August, we get a little flicker of hope. The swell bumps up to 4 ft from the NE, with a short period of 5 seconds. The combined energy hits 106, so it’s weak but there’s finally some push. The wind is a clean offshore from the WNW, very light, so the surface should be smooth. This is the only real window in the whole 16 days. It’s still small and short-period, so not a standout by any stretch, but compared to the dead flat preceding weeks, it’s the best on offer. The afternoon sees a bump to 5 ft, but the wind swings onshore, so the morning is the only call.
For a beginner spot like Croatan, the morning of the 26th will be small enough to handle, but don’t expect much. This is a long, quiet stretch, and it’s pretty normal for this area to have blank runs.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | N 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | NE 5 | SE 7 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 4 | SE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 35 | 9 | 27 | 28 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:27PM1.31m | 7:52AM1.12m | 8:17PM1.30m | 8:44AM1.17m | 9:05PM1.27m | 9:33AM1.21m | 9:50PM1.21m | 10:21AM1.21m | 10:33PM1.13m | 11:07AM1.20m | 11:16PM1.04m | 11:53AM1.16m | 11:58PM0.95m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:52AM-0.04m | 1:56PM-0.09m | 2:39AM-0.07m | 2:48PM-0.08m | 3:23AM-0.08m | 3:38PM-0.04m | 4:05AM-0.06m | 4:28PM0.02m | 4:47AM-0.02m | 5:19PM0.10m | 5:30AM0.05m | 6:10PM0.17m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | | | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 30 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 31 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 34 | 32 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 35 | 30 | 33 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 27 | 34 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | NNE 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 28 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 3 | NE 4 | E 10 | E 9 | — | ESE 8 | — | — | SSE 7 | SE 8 | — | ENE 5 | NE 7 | NE 6 | ESE 16 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | — | — | 5 | 10 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | SE 6 | E 8 | E 11 | E 7 | NE 4 | E 8 | NE 4 | — | SE 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | NE 6 | E 16 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | 2 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 3 | N 4 | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 3 | — | — | NE 3 | NE 5 | NE 4 | — | — | SE 3 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 6 | NNE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | 5 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 35 | 11 | — | — | 6 | 35 | 20 | 27 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2124 | 242 | 242 | 2218 | 299 | 572 | 2218 | 572 | 1242 | 2218 | 252 | 761 | 768 | 572 | 540 | 1129 | 643 | 175 | 137 | 176 |
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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