Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period, ENE swell with 118 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period with NE 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 (Sep 09) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m 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 0.8m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mate, this is Rusty. Let’s chew over what we’ve got coming up. Just one spot on the radar, Croatan, and to be straight with you, the forecast is a bit of a grind. It’s a beach and jetty setup, open to the swell, but the wind is going to be a real pain for almost the whole stretch. We’re looking at a long, quiet period before anything even feels like a surf.
The first real chance to get out doesn’t roll around until Monday, September 14th. Even then, it’s not much. The morning at Croatan has a tiny 1ft bump from the ESE, with a period of 9 seconds, under a light cross-offshore breeze. The combined swell energy is a weak 44 (moderate wave energy). It’s clean, but it’s tiny. Don’t expect a wave. The afternoon gets messy again.
We’re back to a few more days of nothing after that. The next glimmer of hope is on Wednesday, September 16th. The morning at Croatan shows a 4ft swell from the E, period of 6 seconds, with a light SSW wind keeping it clean. The combined energy jumps to 116 (moderate wave energy). This is the best we’re going to see. It’s still pretty ordinary, but it’s surfable. The wind is gentle, so it’s a better bet than the afternoons, which get a side-on breeze and turn choppy. This is the standout, but it’s for the patient surfer.
Then we skip to Friday, September 18th. Both the morning and afternoon at Croatan offer something. Swell is 2ft to 2ft from the ENE, period of 8 seconds, and the wind is light and clean. The combined energy sits around 71-73 (moderate wave energy). It’s small, but it’s clean. Not a day to get excited about, but it’s a paddle.
The weekend of the 19th and 20th of September is a write-off. The swell jumps up to 6ft from the NE, but the wind is howling onshore at 19-22 mph, making it lumpy and choppy. The combined energy hits 436 (strong wave energy), but it’s just a mess. For this kind of exposed beach setup, that’s more of a kite session than a paddle session.
The outlook is pretty quiet overall. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a dry run. The water temperature is about average for the time of year at Croatan, nothing unusual there. The only real option is to wait for the cleaner windows on the 16th or the 18th, and even then, keep your expectations low.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat night, min 23°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 21°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu night, calm by Fri morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | SE 3 | SE 5 | SE 6 | S 4 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 7 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 33 | 118 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 43 | 11 | 14 | 8 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | glassy |
High Tide | 3:34AM0.92m | 4:18PM1.20m | 4:45AM0.98m | 5:24PM1.23m | 5:49AM1.06m | 6:20PM1.25m | 6:45AM1.15m | 7:10PM1.26m | 7:35AM1.22m | 7:56PM1.25m | 8:22AM1.28m | 8:39PM1.21m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:45PM0.20m | 9:40AM0.10m | 10:49PM0.17m | 10:47AM0.08m | 11:48PM0.12m | 11:51AM0.04m | 00:41AM0.06m | 12:50PM0.00m | 1:28AM0.01m | 1:44PM-0.02m | 2:11AM-0.02m | 2:33PM-0.01m | 2:51AM-0.02m | ||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  |  | |
 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | 7:25 | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 11 |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 25 |
Feels °C | 27 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 30 | 25 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ENE 10 | ESE 8 | ENE 9 | ESE 6 | NE 9 | SE 5 | ENE 8 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 6 | 47 | 21 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 43 | 11 | 14 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | E 8 | ESE 9 | E 10 | S 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 5 | ENE 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | NE 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | S 4 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 32 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | — | — | — | — | ESE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 6 | NE 8 | NE 9 | SE 7 | E 10 | ESE 8 | E 8 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 3 | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 9 | — | — | SE 6 | — | SE 3 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | S 4 | WSW 3 | WSW 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 4 | 7 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 33 | 118 | — | — | 19 | — | 14 | 21 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1952 | 765 | 469 | 356 | 280 | 404 | 137 | 137 | 481 | 0 | 378 | 481 | 964 | 352 | 418 | 0 | 526 | 413 | 242 |
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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