Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, S swell with 256 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with SSE 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 (Jul 19) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 1.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sun 19th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next sixteen days.
Honestly, it’s a tough start. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands. Looking at the whole forecast, there’s basically nothing worth paddling out for until July 24th. That’s a solid week or more of flat, messy, or just plain poor conditions. You’d be wasting your time and energy.
The water’s sitting at 78°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first real glimmer of hope shows up on the morning of Thursday, July 24th. Croatan (beach/jetty) will have some small, weak swell rolling in from the NE at about 4ft, but the period is a short, weak 6 seconds. The wind will be a light cross-offshore, keeping things clean. The combined energy is a modest 117 (moderate wave energy). It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. You’re not going to get any sort of barrel.
The standout moment? That’s got to be the afternoon of the 24th. The wind swings offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, which is a huge plus. The swell drops a touch to 4ft from the NE, but the combined energy stays pretty solid at 119 (moderate wave energy). It’s still a 6-second period, but that offshore wind will make for clean, workable lines. This is your best shot for a proper session, but it’s still not gonna be pumping.
The following morning, Saturday July 25th, is worth a mention. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, with a 2ft swell from the ESE. The period stretches to 8 seconds, and the combined energy is 100 (moderate wave energy). It’ll be tiny and clean, perfect for a longboard or a funboard. The only problem is that the swell is pretty weak, and the morning is likely to be your only window.
After that, it’s back to the doldrums. The wind picks up on the 25th afternoon, and the rest of the outlook is a mix of onshore winds, tiny chop, and stormy conditions. The run from the 26th straight through to July 31st is a total write-off – nothing but poor surf and weak energy readings.
So, to sum it up: you’ve got a very narrow window on the 24th and the morning of the 25th of July. The afternoon of the 24th is the clear pick of the bunch, but don’t expect anything epic. For the rest of the time, leave the board in the car.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 34°C on Sat afternoon, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 30mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 34°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | S 4 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | E 13 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ENE 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 4 | S 7 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 11 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 59 | 3 | 45 | 31 | 67 | 17 | 24 | 13 | 18 | 38 | 238 | 49 | 76 | 46 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:15PM1.24m | 10:48AM1.11m | 11:03PM1.16m | 11:39AM1.11m | 11:49PM1.06m | 12:29PM1.10m | 00:34AM0.96m | 1:19PM1.08m | 1:21AM0.87m | 2:10PM1.05m | 2:11AM0.79m | 3:05PM1.03m | 3:08AM0.74m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:56PM-0.09m | 4:38AM-0.10m | 4:50PM-0.03m | 5:25AM-0.06m | 5:46PM0.04m | 6:11AM-0.02m | 6:44PM0.11m | 6:58AM0.03m | 7:42PM0.17m | 7:44AM0.09m | 8:39PM0.22m | 8:30AM0.13m | 9:36PM0.24m | |||||||
 |  | | | | |  |  | | |  | | | |  | | |  |  | | |
 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 22 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 6 | 3 |
Temp °C | 33 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 34 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 25 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 34 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 31 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | ENE 4 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 13 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | — | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 11 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 31 | 67 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | 49 | 76 | 46 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | E 15 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | E 13 | E 9 | E 13 | S 4 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | SE 8 |
| kJ | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 33 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | — | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 9 | — | — | E 13 | E 12 | — | — | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 4 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | S 4 | — | NE 4 | — | S 3 | SSE 5 | S 5 | WSW 4 | NNE 3 | — | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | — | SSE 6 | S 4 | S 7 | SSW 4 | W 4 | N 3 |
| kJ | 5 | 17 | — | 6 | — | 5 | 59 | 97 | 6 | 3 | — | 16 | 24 | — | 18 | 38 | 238 | 31 | 2 | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1132 | 1160 | 1664 | 1231 | 1114 | 1239 | 228 | 137 | 0 | 137 | 0 | 165 | 138 | 622 | 697 | 927 | 799 | 913 | 255 | 242 |
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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