Croatan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, your local surf reporter, with a look at what's coming up for the Croatan area.

Honestly, folks, I'm staring at a pretty bleak forecast for the next couple of weeks. The swell is just tiny, the wind is all over the place, and the combined energy levels are laughable. We're looking at a long stretch of poor surf, with nothing really worth paddling out for until the very end of the window. There's a big gap here with no real recommendations, so don't get your hopes up for the next week or so.

Let's start with this weekend. Saturday morning, August 8th, we've got a weak 2ft swell from the SE with a short period of 8 seconds and a combined energy of just 55. The wind is a cross-off from the SW at 12 mph, which at least keeps the surface clean, but the waves are just too small to do anything with. It's a beginner-friendly spot, but even for them, it's a total washout. This flat, weak pattern continues through the week with waves barely pushing 2ft. Monday morning, August 10th, we get a brief moment of glassy conditions with the wind dropping to 3 mph from the S, but the swell is a pathetic 2ft with a 6-second period. It's clean, but it's just not surf.

We're looking at a solid ten days of this. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing special, but you won't even be in the water to notice.

Now, the only faint glimmer of hope comes way out in the second week. Around Wednesday, August 19th, we start to see a bit more energy. The combined energy climbs to 177 on Wednesday morning, but it's still a cross-on wind from the SSE at 9 mph, making it choppy. The swell is a bit better at 2ft from the ESE with a 13-second period, which is a longer period groundswell, but it's hitting a beach/jetty setup, so it might be a bit too straight for a good wall. This is a long-range forecast, so it's promising but not certain.

The best shot, if you can call it that, looks like Thursday afternoon, August 20th. The combined energy drops to 79, but the wind switches to a clean cross-off from the SSW at 9 mph. The waves are 2ft from the ESE with a 10-second period. The report even calls it "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It's not a standout, but it's the only thing on the board that's not a complete zero. Don't expect much.

The very end of the forecast, Saturday, August 22nd, shows a jump in energy to 274 with a 3ft swell from the ESE, but the wind is onshore from the ESE at 9 mph, making it unknown conditions. It's still a long way off. For now, leave the board in the car and go for a swim.

Rusty.

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