Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 6s period, E swell with 259 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s period with ENE 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 08) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 1.8m 6s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 6ft (1.8m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's ahead for us.
Right off the bat, the next week or so is going to be quiet. We've got a long stretch of very small, weak swell and often onshore or messy winds, so you might as well leave the board in the car. The combined swell energy is barely registering, often under 100, with heights mostly under 4ft and short, weak periods. Honestly, it's a bit of a flat spell.
The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday the 8th in the morning. Croatan, a beach and jetty setup, will see a clean-up. The wind will be glassy with a light offshore touch, and we get a little bump of 3ft swell from the ENE. It's only a 1 out of 10 on the scale, but with the glassy conditions, it's at least rideable. This spot is fairly consistent and exposed to the ESE, so this slight ENE pulse is a bit off its best direction, but the clean conditions are the main draw here. Keep in mind this spot can get crowded.
After that, it's back to small and choppy for several days. There’s a small window on Wednesday the 9th morning with cross-offshore wind and 1ft waves which will be clean, but tiny.
Looking further out, the best bet of the whole 16-day window looks to be Wednesday the 16th in the afternoon. Croatan should see a glassy session with a 4ft swell from the ENE. It's still only a surfable wave, not a classic, but with the glassy wind and a little more size, it's the standout moment.
Before that, on Monday the 14th, there's a pulse of 4ft ENE swell, but the wind is light cross-onshore, making it choppy and not worth the paddle.
And finally, a small but notable mention for Saturday the 19th morning: a long-period groundswell from the ESE at 1.0ft with a period of 12 seconds and moderate offshore wind. The period is good, but the size is tiny, so it's more of a longboard glide.
Overall, for this 16-day window at Croatan, the only real sessions to pencil in are Tuesday morning the 8th for the glass, and Wednesday afternoon the 16th for the best combination of clean conditions and size.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 33°C on Fri afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | NE 7 | ESE 8 | E 4 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 83 | 237 | 225 | 126 | 151 | 111 | 83 | 54 | 32 | 20 | 14 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | on | off | cross | on | off | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:18AM0.93m | 1:58PM1.20m | 2:22AM0.91m | 3:06PM1.19m | 3:34AM0.92m | 4:18PM1.20m | 4:45AM0.98m | 5:24PM1.23m | 5:49AM1.06m | 6:20PM1.25m | 6:45AM1.15m | 7:10PM1.26m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:31AM0.11m | 8:40PM0.21m | 8:34AM0.12m | 9:45PM0.20m | 9:40AM0.10m | 10:49PM0.17m | 10:47AM0.08m | 11:48PM0.12m | 11:51AM0.04m | 00:41AM0.06m | 12:50PM0.00m | 1:28AM0.01m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | 7:29 | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 31 | 33 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 26 |
Feels °C | 34 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 3 | E 8 | — | — | — | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SE 5 |
| kJ | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | 34 | 151 | 111 | 83 | 54 | 32 | 20 | 11 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | SSW 3 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | S 6 | SE 3 | E 8 | — | — | — | ESE 9 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 14 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | 7 | 33 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | SSE 4 | — | E 6 | SSE 6 | — | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | — | — | — | — | ESE 8 | — | — | ESE 8 | E 10 | — | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 6 | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 7 | 2 | — | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 3 | WSW 3 | ENE 5 | WSW 3 | NNW 2 | NE 7 | SE 3 | E 4 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 3 | SSW 4 |
| kJ | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 83 | 237 | 225 | 126 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 228 | 352 | 2301 | 294 | 299 | 2301 | 178 | 242 | 481 | 255 | 255 | 411 | 137 | 0 | 210 | 0 | 0 | 1258 | 878 |
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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