Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for your local surf. I’ve got to be straight with you—it’s a tough stretch. The whole 16-day forecast is basically a long flat spell with small, weak, poorly organised waves. There’s really no standout, no day you’d circle on the calendar. The combined energy of all swells is weak, with values mostly in the low hundreds, and only one reading just over a hundred on Monday the 13th of July, but the conditions are still poor.

The first real chance to get wet might be a couple of brief windows. Starting on Friday the 10th of July, Croatan (beach/jetty) might offer a very ordinary session. The morning swell is only 2ft from the SSE, with a short period of 8 seconds. The wind is a gentle offshore from the WSW, so it’ll be clean. But the energy is low and the surf is described as “surfable but very ordinary”. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but it’s not a recommendation.

The next morning, Saturday the 11th of July, looks similar. You’ve got a clean 2ft swell from the SE, again with a short 8-second period. The wind is a light offshore from the WNW—almost glassy. The energy is a bit better, but still weak. It’s the same story: ordinary, surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

After that, the swell tries to push a bit on Sunday the 12th of July. The afternoon brings a 3ft wave from the E, with a very short period of 4 seconds. The wind is a moderate offshore from the W, keeping it clean. Energy is moderate. It’s still just “surfable but very ordinary”.

Then there’s a bigger energy reading on Monday the 13th of July, but the morning shows a 4ft swell from the E with a 6-second period, and a strong cross-shore wind. The combined energy is moderate, but the conditions are poor, so it’s messy.

The only other session that’s even “surfable” is Friday the 17th of July morning. A 3ft swell from the ENE, 6-second period, with a gentle offshore wind from the WSW. Clean, but again, very ordinary.

Crowds: Croatan is exposed to the swell and often crowded. With so little surf on offer, you can bet it’ll be packed on those rare clean mornings.

The Bottom Line: Honestly, this is a bleak run. There’s no decent swell, and the periods are short. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there. For a beginner, the max size is around 4ft, so it’s not too big, but the quality is so poor it’s hardly worth it. The setup is a beach/jetty, and with the small, weak, wind-affected waves, this looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer for most of the period. Keep your eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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