Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, SE swell with 63 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with SE 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 06) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. 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 0.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.
Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with barely a ripple for days on end. The surf just ain’t showin’ up. From now through the middle of the month, it’s gonna be a battle to find anything rideable. The energy is really weak, with combined swell energy readings barely creepin’ into double digits (38) on the best of the early days, and mostly sittin' in the teens or single digits. That’s just sad.
We got a tiny window of hope on Thursday morning, August 6th, at Croatan. We’re talkin’ a knee-high 2 ft swell from the SE, with a short period of 6 seconds. It’s small and weak, but the wind is a light SSW cross-off, so it’ll be clean. The water temp is about average for this time of year. Honestly, it’s barely surfable – the report calls it ‘very ordinary’ – but it’s the only thing that even gets a nod. Don’t get your hopes up.
After that, it’s a total bust. Days and days of flat, weak conditions. The wind shifts around, but with no swell to work with, it doesn’t matter. We’re talkin’ a big gap of almost two weeks with nothing worth paddling out for.
The only other little flicker of life comes right at the tail end of the outlook, on Thursday morning, August 20th. The swell stays tiny at 2 ft from the ENE, but the wind swings light SW cross-off, so it’ll be clean again. The combined energy is still weak (58) and the period is short (8 seconds). It’s still just a ‘very ordinary’ day, but it’s the best we’ve got in the second week.
So, to sum it up: there’s no standout. Not even close. The best I can offer is a couple of marginal, tiny, clean days. If you’re desperate, paddle out Thursday morning, August 6th, or Thursday morning, August 20th, for some small, clean waves at Croatan. Otherwise, wax your board and wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 45mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 34°C on Sat afternoon, min 23°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | S 4 | SE 6 | ESE 7 | S 5 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 6 | S 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 36 | 35 | 59 | 47 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 31 | 21 | 39 | 61 | 23 | 43 | 13 | 16 | 39 | 10 | 4 | 13 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 00:42AM0.94m | 1:20PM1.14m | 1:35AM0.90m | 2:16PM1.16m | 2:36AM0.87m | 3:20PM1.18m | 3:44AM0.87m | 4:28PM1.21m | 4:54AM0.91m | 5:33PM1.25m | 5:59AM0.97m | 6:33PM1.29m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:58AM0.04m | 7:53PM0.17m | 7:51AM0.05m | 8:54PM0.16m | 8:48AM0.05m | 9:58PM0.15m | 9:50AM0.03m | 11:03PM0.12m | 10:55AM0.01m | 00:05AM0.07m | 11:59AM-0.03m | 1:02AM0.01m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | 8:07 | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — |
mm | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | 38 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 27 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 33 | 28 | 29 | 33 | 29 |
Feels °C | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 35 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 4 | SE 6 | SE 6 | E 10 | SE 7 | SE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SSE 6 | ESE 6 | E 9 |
| kJ | 36 | 35 | 1 | 47 | 31 | 2 | 12 | 31 | 21 | 26 | 61 | 23 | 43 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NE 4 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | NE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 7 | SSW 3 | E 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 9 | E 11 | E 8 | — | — | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | E 10 | E 11 | — | E 10 | SSE 6 | E 9 |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 6 | SW 3 | S 6 | SSE 4 | S 4 | SW 3 | S 4 | S 5 | SW 3 | S 4 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 | SSW 3 | S 6 | SW 3 | — | S 4 |
| kJ | — | — | 59 | 1 | 25 | 29 | 25 | 1 | 9 | 39 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 39 | 2 | — | 13 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 78 | 138 | 1132 | 0 | 0 | 1137 | 404 | 78 | 443 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 0 | 137 | 204 | 175 | 175 | 360 | 323 |
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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