Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, SSE swell with 141 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period with S 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s 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 1.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be 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 Tuesday (Jul 28) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
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 coming up for Croatan.
Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with no real surf to speak of. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off with tiny, weak waves and onshore or cross-shore winds messing things up. The forecast shows a gap of nearly two weeks of nothing worth paddling out for, starting from Tuesday July 28th right through until the final week.
The only real glimmer of hope, and I mean a faint one, comes on Monday August 3rd in the morning. The swell bumps up to about 3ft from the SE, with a short period of 7 seconds. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the WSW, which will keep the surface clean. The combined wave energy is a weak 63, so it’s not going to be powerful, but it’s the only time the conditions are even remotely surfable. However, it’s still a very ordinary session, and the afternoon turns ugly with a cross-onshore breeze.
After that, it’s back to small, choppy, and disorganised surf until Wednesday August 12th. The morning of the 12th shows a little pulse again: 4ft from the ENE with a 7-second period, light offshore wind from the SW, and clean conditions. The energy is moderate at 141, so it’ll have a bit more push than the 3rd, but the afternoon is again ruined by a strong cross-onshore wind. This is a spot for beginners, but remember, the consistency is only fairly consistent, and the crowds can often be a problem here.
So, to be honest, there are no standouts. The best of a bad bunch is the morning of Wednesday August 12th. The water temp is a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 75°, which is a noticeable 4° chill.
That’s the story for Croatan. It’s a flat spell with a couple of tiny, clean windows. Hang in there, the forecasts can always change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 57mm), heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 27°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 5 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | SSE 4 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 24 | 20 | 66 | 43 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 62 | 19 | 62 | 108 | 41 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:00PM1.12m | 8:21AM0.91m | 8:39PM1.13m | 9:02AM0.95m | 9:17PM1.12m | 9:42AM0.99m | 9:55PM1.11m | 10:21AM1.02m | 10:33PM1.08m | 11:02AM1.06m | 11:13PM1.04m | 11:44AM1.09m | 11:56PM0.99m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:34PM0.13m | 2:22AM0.09m | 2:17PM0.11m | 2:57AM0.06m | 2:58PM0.10m | 3:32AM0.03m | 3:40PM0.11m | 4:08AM0.02m | 4:22PM0.12m | 4:45AM0.02m | 5:09PM0.14m | 5:25AM0.02m | 5:59PM0.15m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | |
 | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — |
mm | — | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Temp °C | 26 | 29 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 27 | 30 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 7 | NNE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ENE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 24 | 20 | 4 | 43 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 62 | 66 | 15 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | N 3 | NE 6 | SE 7 | NE 7 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 5 | NE 6 | ESE 9 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | — | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | — |
| kJ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NE 6 | NE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | NE 6 | ESE 9 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 2 | SSE 4 | S 5 | NNW 4 | N 4 | — | N 3 | — | — | NNW 3 | NNE 3 | — | — | SE 3 | SSE 4 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SSE 4 | SW 3 | SSE 7 | S 6 |
| kJ | 1 | 13 | 66 | 24 | 8 | — | 3 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 8 | 12 | 15 | 62 | 13 | 1 | 108 | 41 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1231 | 1260 | 0 | 175 | 176 | 138 | 137 | 175 | 78 | 95 | 529 | 138 | 138 | 639 | 639 | 1132 | 910 | 897 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
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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