Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 12s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with 75 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 12s 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 (Sep 01) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 2s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a tough watch for us. Let's get into it.
We’re kicking off with a real flat spell. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off for any kind of decent wave. From Friday the 28th of August right through to the 8th of September, the swell is tiny and the conditions are messy. The water temp is sitting at 79°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least a dip will be comfortable.
There’s a small glimmer on the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September at Croatan. We’re looking at a tiny 2ft swell out of the ESE with a long period of 11 seconds. The combined wave energy is weak, just 81, but the wind is glassy. It’s surfable, but you’ll be on a log fighting for dribbles. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, and with the glass, it’ll be clean, but don’t expect much.
The only other moments that might get your heart rate up are the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September and Wednesday the 9th of September. On the 3rd, we get a 2ft ESE swell with clean offshore wind from the W, and energy at 52. The 9th has similar clean cross-off conditions with a 1ft SE swell. Both are still poor, just a little cleaner.
Into the second week, around Sunday the 6th of September, the swell tries to pick up a bit. We see a 3ft ENE swell on the 6th and 7th, with energy climbing to 133 and 142, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. It’s not going to be a pretty picture. That kind of small, wind-affected surf is honestly more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing right now.
Nothing here is a standout. The best we’ve got is a couple of glassy or offshore mornings with knee-high slop. If you’re desperate for a paddle, aim for the 2nd or the 3rd of September in the morning, but keep your expectations low. It’s a blank run, but forecasts change, so don’t bin the board just yet.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 24 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 17 | 33 | 13 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 29 | 68 | 57 | 51 | 46 | 30 | 27 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | on | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:31AM1.09m | 8:47PM1.17m | 9:10AM1.15m | 9:26PM1.15m | 9:50AM1.19m | 10:06PM1.12m | 10:32AM1.22m | 10:49PM1.07m | 11:16AM1.23m | 11:34PM1.02m | 12:04PM1.23m | 00:23AM0.97m | 12:57PM1.22m | 1:18AM0.93m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:35PM0.09m | 2:57AM0.03m | 3:17PM0.08m | 3:34AM0.02m | 4:01PM0.09m | 4:12AM0.02m | 4:47PM0.11m | 4:54AM0.04m | 5:38PM0.14m | 5:40AM0.06m | 6:35PM0.17m | 6:32AM0.09m | 7:36PM0.20m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — |
mm | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 32 | 36 | 31 |
Feels °C | 29 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 29 | 33 | 38 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | NE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 24 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 68 | 57 | 51 | 46 | 30 | 27 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 11 | SSE 4 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 5 | NE 5 | E 9 | NE 5 | NE 4 | NE 5 | — | S 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 12 | SE 6 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | SSE 4 |
| kJ | 6 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 7 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | SSE 6 | E 10 | ENE 10 | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 6 | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 13 | ESE 9 | NE 5 | — | — | S 3 | E 6 | E 6 |
| kJ | 9 | 3 | 8 | 10 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 18 | 8 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 5 | — | NE 3 | NE 3 | ESE 3 | — | SE 8 | SSW 4 | SW 3 | SW 3 | S 4 | SW 3 | — | S 3 | — | — | S 3 | WNW 2 | SSE 2 | WNW 3 |
| kJ | — | 4 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 33 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 78 | 175 | 78 | 106 | 78 | 572 | 138 | 2311 | 320 | 138 | 292 | 927 | 299 | 981 | 0 | 0 | 1258 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 299 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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