Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, S swell with 303 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 1.7m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 2AM. 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 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight to it – the next 16 days at Croatan are a tough watch. The forecast is flat, gutless, and honestly pretty disappointing for a spot that’s usually fairly consistent. There’s not a single good surf option in the whole window. The water’s sitting at about 79°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re sitting there staring at a lake.
The first few days – Saturday 18 through Tuesday 21 July – are all tiny, with swell heights barely scraping 3ft and periods around 4 to 8 seconds. Winds are mostly cross-off or cross-on, but the energy is pathetic (11 to 45 in the combined energy reading). Wednesday 22 July afternoon is the only time the forecast even hints at something rideable – a 3ft SE swell with 8-second period, and the wind turning offshore from the west at 16 mph. The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” and the energy bumps to 112, but it’s still poor. That’s the best on offer, and that’s saying something.
From Thursday 23 July right through to Sunday 2 August, it’s more of the same: tiny swell, onshore or cross-shore winds, and energy readings that rarely break 100. A few mornings have light winds, but the swell is just too small – 1ft to 3ft – and the period is short. There’s a little pulse on Friday 31 July morning with a 4ft S swell and 5-second period, but it’s cross-on from the NNE and the energy is 113 – still not enough to get excited about. Honestly, this is a 16-day dud. For a beginner-friendly beach/jetty like Croatan, it’s unusual to have such a long blank run, but forecasts can shift. Keep an eye on the charts – it won’t stay this quiet forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 34°C on Sat afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Wed morning. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 | SSE 4 | E 13 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 4 | SE 8 | S 4 | S 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | NNE 5 | SE 8 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 31 | 3 | 29 | 24 | 31 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 28 | 19 | 303 | 135 | 112 | 175 | 61 | 52 | 35 | 66 | 55 | 61 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 4:02PM1.02m | 4:12AM0.72m | 4:58PM1.03m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 9:18AM0.17m | 10:33PM0.25m | 10:10AM0.20m | 11:29PM0.24m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | | | |  | | | |  |  | |  | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 32 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
Feels °C | 33 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 35 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 30 | 28 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 13 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 24 | 31 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 135 | 112 | 175 | 61 | 33 | 35 | 28 | 43 | 61 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 13 | E 9 | SSE 5 | SW 4 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | SE 6 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | — | — | W 5 | — | — | SSE 8 | S 8 | — | — | ESE 8 |
| kJ | — | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 11 | 1 | — | — | 44 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 9 | — | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 10 | — | S 7 | E 10 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 | — | — | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 4 | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | SSE 4 | S 6 | SW 4 | N 3 | E 3 | E 3 | E 4 | E 4 | S 4 | S 4 | S 7 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 31 | 86 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 303 | 41 | 21 | 6 | 45 | 52 | 25 | 66 | 55 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1365 | 2672 | 210 | 14 | 78 | 294 | 138 | 165 | 593 | 14 | 1132 | 283 | 224 | 0 | 78 | 242 | 242 | 289 | 445 | 622 | 33 |
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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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