Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, SSE swell with 198 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s 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 Monday (Jul 20) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 3s 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 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here.
Honestly, looking at the next couple of weeks, it's a pretty flat and average stretch for Croatan. There's a whole lot of nothing good on the cards for days, with a big gap of poor surf conditions from now until the 24th of July. The water temp is sitting right on average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there.
The first real glimmer of something decent doesn't show up until the morning of Friday the 25th of July. That's a long wait. The swell is coming from the SSE at 7ft, which is a solid size for a beach/jetty setup. The wind is light and offshore from the SW, making for clean conditions. The combined energy is moderate (523). It's the best on offer by a long shot, but with that size, it's definitely more for the experienced crew; beginners would find it too heavy. It's a standout, but it's a one-session wonder because the wind turns onshore in the afternoon.
The morning of the 24th of July acts as a weak appetiser. You get surfable waves with a 2ft SE swell and clean conditions thanks to a light NNW cross-offshore breeze, and the energy is moderate (113). It's not great, but it's the best window before the main event.
The morning of the 30th of July sees a return to surfable but ordinary waves. We've got a 3ft SE swell with glassy conditions from a light SSW wind, which is a major positive. The energy is weak (65). It's not going to blow your mind, but it's a clean little session if you're desperate.
So, to sum it up: don't hold your breath for the first two weeks. The only real standout is the 25th of July morning, but it's a long way off and a bit of a gamble. If you're a kiter, the few afternoons with a fresh cross-shore and lumpy wind might be more interesting than the paddle surf on offer.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Sat afternoon, min 25°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the S by Sat afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 34°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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 4 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | NE 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | E 13 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 7 | SE 8 | SSE 7 | NNE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 11 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 59 | 3 | 37 | 51 | 67 | 32 | 40 | 23 | 11 | 46 | 198 | 88 | 35 | 26 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:56AM1.10m | 10:15PM1.24m | 10:48AM1.11m | 11:03PM1.16m | 11:39AM1.11m | 11:49PM1.06m | 12:29PM1.10m | 00:34AM0.96m | 1:19PM1.08m | 1:21AM0.87m | 2:10PM1.05m | 2:11AM0.79m | 3:05PM1.03m | 3:08AM0.74m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:56PM-0.09m | 4:38AM-0.10m | 4:50PM-0.03m | 5:25AM-0.06m | 5:46PM0.04m | 6:11AM-0.02m | 6:44PM0.11m | 6:58AM0.03m | 7:42PM0.17m | 7:44AM0.09m | 8:39PM0.22m | 8:30AM0.13m | 9:36PM0.24m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 19 | 5 | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 34 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 33 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
Feels °C | 31 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 34 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 32 | 25 | 27 | 20 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 13 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NE 4 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | SSE 7 | SE 8 | SSE 7 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 11 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 51 | 67 | 32 | 40 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 113 | 88 | 35 | 26 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 15 | E 15 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | E 13 | E 9 | E 13 | SSW 4 | E 12 | SE 4 | E 12 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | — | — | — | SE 8 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 14 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 15 | — | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 13 | — | E 12 | E 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 4 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 3 | S 4 | — | NE 4 | — | S 3 | SSE 5 | S 5 | SSW 4 | NNE 2 | ENE 3 | NE 4 | NE 4 | SE 6 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 7 | N 3 | N 4 | NNE 4 |
| kJ | — | 2 | 17 | — | 6 | — | 5 | 59 | 87 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 23 | 11 | 46 | 198 | 7 | 21 | 25 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1271 | 1132 | 572 | 2310 | 1231 | 1160 | 1242 | 228 | 868 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 138 | 622 | 622 | 696 | 913 | 175 | 138 | 242 | 242 |
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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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