Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 16s period, ESE swell with 51 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period with E 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 0.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1ft (0.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, it's Rusty. I've had a look at the charts for the Croatan area and I've got to be honest with you—it's a pretty dry spell for the next couple of weeks. The surf is looking very flat, with very little to get the heart pumping.
The water temperature is sitting at about 80°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so it's not all bad if you're just going for a swim.
For the bulk of the forecast, from Tuesday the 25th of August right through to Sunday the 6th of September, it's a write-off. Swell heights are barely pushing 2 feet, and when they do get a little bump, the period is either too short or the wind messes it up. The combined wave energy is mostly in the low double digits, which is just not enough to get a surfboard moving. There are a few clean-looking days, like Friday the 28th morning with a light cross-off breeze, but the swell is only 2 feet from the east with a short 8-second period. It's just not enough.
We do see a subtle change from Monday the 31st of August through to Wednesday the 2nd of September, with a cleaner cross-off breeze and a longer period swell starting to appear. Tuesday afternoon the 1st of September, we get a 1 foot ESE swell with a 15-second period and a clean cross-off breeze. The combined energy is still only 90, so it's weak, but that long period means there's some shape. It's surfable, but very ordinary.
The best of the bunch looks like Thursday the 3rd of September morning. The wind is glassy from the WNW, and we have a 4-foot swell from the ENE, but with a short 6-second period. The combined energy is 128, so it's moderate, but that short period at a beach/jetty break like Croatan will be a bit crumbly and weak. It's still surfable, but it's not going to be anything to write home about.
After that, it's back to tiny, weak swells and onshore winds right through to the 9th of September.
Honestly, if you're desperate, the Thursday morning of the 3rd is your only real chance, but keep your expectations low. The rest of the time, it's looking more like a kite-surfing setup with the wind and weak waves. This kind of blank run is pretty normal for the area, so don't sweat it. Forecasts can always change, but right now, it's a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 8 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | E 8 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 29 | 29 | 29 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 36 | 42 | 32 | 35 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 12 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 27 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:51PM1.12m | 7:11AM0.96m | 7:30PM1.15m | 7:51AM1.03m | 8:09PM1.17m | 8:31AM1.09m | 8:47PM1.17m | 9:10AM1.15m | 9:26PM1.15m | 9:50AM1.19m | 10:06PM1.12m | 10:32AM1.22m | 10:49PM1.07m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:24PM0.20m | 1:09AM0.16m | 1:10PM0.16m | 1:46AM0.11m | 1:54PM0.12m | 2:21AM0.06m | 2:35PM0.09m | 2:57AM0.03m | 3:17PM0.08m | 3:34AM0.02m | 4:01PM0.09m | 4:12AM0.02m | 4:47PM0.11m | 4:54AM0.04m | |||||||
 | |  | | | |  |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 4 | — | 1 | — | — | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 24 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 29 |
Feels °C | 22 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 29 | 29 | 29 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 36 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 10 | 22 | 21 | 12 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 11 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | NE 4 | E 6 | E 15 | ESE 7 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 16 | ESE 17 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 35 | 26 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 27 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | — | E 6 | E 14 | E 8 | E 8 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | — | — | — | E 17 | E 9 | E 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | — | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | — | SSW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 2 | S 3 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | S 4 |
| kJ | 11 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 32 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 242 | 803 | 572 | 540 | 1689 | 746 | 16 | 772 | 210 | 106 | 10 | 137 | 242 | 487 | 418 | 540 | 1689 | 1388 | 138 | 418 | 349 |
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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