Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim stretch for Croatan. We’re lookin’ at a whole lot of tiny, junky surf with not much to get excited about. The first real chance of anything decent is a long way off, so don’t hold your breath.

The entire first week and a half is a write-off. From Monday the 24th of August right through to the first week of September, it’s just ankle-biters and slop. Swell heights are barely pokin’ their head above 1 ft, with periods all over the shop, mostly short and weak. The combined energy readings are mostly in the 20s to 50s, pathetic. The wind is a constant problem too – cross, cross-on, and choppy conditions are the norm. There’s a few mornings with clean conditions, but there’s just no swell to work with. It’s a real bummer for such a nice stretch of coast.

The first glimmer of hope comes on Monday the 31st of August. Monday afternoon we’ve got a glassy session with a 1 ft swell from the ESE, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, and the energy bumps up to 117 (moderate). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The real pulse of energy shows up on Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon. The swell jumps to 4 ft from the ENE, period at 14 seconds, and the combined energy hits 558 (strong). But the wind is a cross-on from the NNE at 9 mph, which will mess up the face. It’s a marginal call.

Then again, on Thursday the 3rd of September morning, we get a clean session with a 4 ft ESE swell, period 14 seconds, and energy cranked up to 551 (strong). The wind is cross-off from the NNW at 19 mph – that’s fresh, but it’ll hold the wave open. That’s your best bet for the whole period, but it’s still a little lumpy under that breeze.

The best of the whole outlook comes on Friday the 4th of September. Friday morning at Croatan is glassy. Flat calm. The swell is 2 ft from the E, period 12 seconds, and the energy is 213 (moderate). The conditions are expect good surf conditions. That’s the standout. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean, lined up, and with those long-period lines, it’ll be a whole lotta fun for a beginner-friendly beach/jetty like this. No crowds mentioned, but it’s fairly consistent, so there’ll be a few heads out.

After that, it fades off again. Saturday the 5th of September morning has a 5 ft ESE swell, but the period drops to a shocking 5 seconds – that’s windswell, messy and short. The energy is only 138 (moderate). It’s too big for beginners at that size, and with that short period, it’ll be a washing machine. Only for the keen.

So, to wrap it up: if you’re itching for a paddle, the Thursday 3rd September morning and Friday 4th September morning are the ones to circle. Friday is the real gem – glassy, clean, and a little pulse of groundswell.

Rusty.

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