Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 10 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 7s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s period, E swell with 160 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 7s 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 Friday (Jul 10) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 1.2m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Croatan over the next 16 days.
Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off for any decent paddle surfing. We’ve got a long gap with no real recommendations, so don’t bother checking the cams until later in the run. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is a bit warmer than usual for this time of year – not crazy, but you’ll notice it.
The first flicker of anything worth a mention comes on Tuesday morning, July 14th. Early doors, it’s glassy with a light northerly breeze – that’s the good part. But the swell is tiny, only 2ft from the east, with a short period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is weak (47). It’s surfable but very ordinary. You’ll be on a longboard fighting for scraps.
The next real chance pops up much later, on Monday afternoon, July 20th. We get a bump in energy to 5ft from the SSE, period still short at 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 209, so there’s a bit more push. But the wind is onshore from the ENE, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy. It’s marginal, but it’s the biggest swell of the whole run up to that point.
Then we roll into Wednesday morning, July 22nd. Another glassy start with the wind swinging to SW and going dead calm. The swell is 3ft from the SSE, period 8 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 113. Again, it’s not going to set the world on fire, but if you time it right, the clean conditions will make it the most rideable session of the entire forecast.
Honestly, if you’re looking to get wet, target that Tuesday morning the 14th for the glass – it’s your best bet for clean but tiny waves. The biggest push comes on the 20th, but it won’t be pretty. For the rest of the window, it’s mostly small, choppy, or onshore slop. If the wind picks up from the east, this setup might be more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddle surfers.
Signing off, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 32°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSE 7 | ESE 9 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 8 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 7 | ESE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | S 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 95 | 145 | 160 | 155 | 54 | 38 | 54 | 32 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 97 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:45PM1.21m | 5:10AM0.88m | 5:46PM1.27m | 6:12AM0.92m | 6:44PM1.32m | 7:11AM0.97m | 7:40PM1.34m | 8:07AM1.02m | 8:34PM1.34m | 9:02AM1.07m | 9:26PM1.30m | 9:56AM1.10m | 10:15PM1.24m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:09AM-0.02m | 11:19PM0.05m | 11:09AM-0.05m | 00:21AM-0.00m | 12:10PM-0.09m | 1:19AM-0.05m | 1:10PM-0.12m | 2:12AM-0.10m | 2:07PM-0.14m | 3:02AM-0.12m | 3:02PM-0.13m | 3:50AM-0.12m | 3:56PM-0.09m | 4:38AM-0.10m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 34 | 33 | 29 | 35 | 32 |
Feels °C | 30 | 35 | 33 | 29 | 32 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 34 | 33 | 29 | 33 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 4 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 7 | — | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 7 | ESE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 15 |
| kJ | 10 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 4 | — | 155 | 54 | 38 | 54 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | ESE 10 | — | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | — |
| kJ | 14 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 9 | — | 9 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | SSE 7 | ENE 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 8 | 5 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 2 | — | W 2 | WSW 3 | — | NE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SW 3 | — | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSE 4 | S 5 |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 13 | 48 | 95 | 145 | 160 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 2 | — | 33 | 12 | 31 | 97 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 137 | 175 | 242 | 137 | 417 | 138 | 242 | 481 | 409 | 697 | 813 | 16 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 78 | 349 | 292 | 197 | 1076 | 0 |
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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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