Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, S swell with 124 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Croatan in the next 16 days are 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) 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 0.7m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
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 on the menu for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it's a bit of a flat spell for the Croatan (beach/jetty) area. We're looking at a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly messy surf. The first few days are a write-off with tiny waves and poor conditions. The energy is just not there, with combined swell energy values barely getting into the double digits (65 or less) for the first week. The water temperature is a touch warmer than normal at 80°, which is nice, but that's about the only positive for a while.
The first real chance of anything surfable doesn't roll around until the morning of Sunday, July 19th. Even then, it's only a 2ft swell from the SE with a short period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is still weak (67). The wind is offshore from the WSW though, which will clean it up a bit for a small wave session. The following Monday morning, July 20th, is glassy with a tiny 2ft SSE swell, but again, it's ordinary.
The most interesting day comes on Tuesday, July 21st. The afternoon sees a moderate energy reading (113) with a 3ft swell from the SSE, period of 8 seconds, and a cross-off wind from the SW. It's not going to be epic, but that's the best looking window for a bit of a push. The 3ft size is still manageable for a beginner spot like Croatan.
After that, it's back to small and choppy or onshore conditions right through the rest of the month. The morning of Saturday, July 25th, offers a glimmer of hope with a 3ft ENE swell and glassy conditions, but the energy is low (107) and the period is short (6 seconds), so it will be weak and sloppy. There's a small bump in energy on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28th (124), but with a short period (7 seconds) and a cross-shore wind, it's not going to be great.
So, to boil it down: there's no standout surf in this forecast. The only real option to consider is Tuesday, July 21st, for the slightly bigger, cleaner waves. The rest of the 16 days is a long, drawn-out lull. For beginners, it's tiny and weak, but for anyone else, it's pretty flat. With the overall lack of power and quality, if you're looking for a pull, the kite might be a better bet than the paddle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 34°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 35°C on Sat afternoon, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | S 4 | SSE 5 | S 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 41 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 59 | 124 | 64 | 50 | 31 | 39 | 21 | 94 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:07AM1.02m | 8:34PM1.34m | 9:02AM1.07m | 9:26PM1.30m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:07PM-0.14m | 3:02AM-0.12m | 3:02PM-0.13m | 3:50AM-0.12m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — |
 | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 26 | 24 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 34 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 35 | 28 | 30 | 34 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
Feels °C | 26 | 26 | 24 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 36 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 13 | SE 8 | E 13 | SSE 4 | SSE 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 41 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 64 | 3 | 10 | 39 | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | SE 5 | SE 6 | ESE 9 | SE 6 | E 16 | SSW 3 | E 15 | E 15 | ESE 8 | E 5 | — | NE 4 | E 13 | E 9 | E 13 | — | SE 8 | E 12 | E 12 | — |
| kJ | 8 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | — | 31 | 3 | 3 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 5 | — | — | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 9 | — | — | E 13 | E 12 | — | E 10 | — |
| kJ | 16 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WSW 2 | SSE 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSE 3 | S 4 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | S 4 | SSE 5 | S 6 | WSW 3 | SE 8 | SW 3 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 16 | — | 1 | 8 | 16 | 59 | 124 | 2 | 50 | 2 | — | 21 | 94 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2092 | 955 | 46 | 138 | 514 | 540 | 540 | 391 | 1231 | 1239 | 1268 | 1239 | 1231 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 228 |
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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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