Surf Forecasts:
Croatan surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 4s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, E swell with 166 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 4s period with SSE 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 4s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy 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 (Jul 13) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 4s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 4s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Croatan over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break down Croatan for the next couple of weeks. It’s a rough run, I won’t sugarcoat it. The swell energy is almost always puny, rarely breaking into three digits, and when it does the wind is a mess. The whole period is filled with poor surf and choppy conditions. Keep expectations low.
Starting Wednesday the 8th through the weekend, it’s tiny. Waist-high or smaller, with a short windswell period of just 4 to 7 seconds. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s choppy and weak. Water temp is 79°, pretty standard for this time of year.
There’s a brief moment on the morning of Friday the 10th with clean offshore wind from the west, but the swell is only 1 ft from the NE. It’s glassy, but it’s barely a wave. The weekend stays small and sloppy.
Monday the 13th brings a bump. Swell hits 4 ft from the ENE, with a combined energy of 174, which is moderate. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy. This is more of a kite-surfing day than a good paddle session. Don’t get excited.
From the 14th through the 18th, it’s back to small, weak surf. The only real highlight is the morning of Wednesday the 22nd. The wind goes light offshore from the NNW, the surf is clean, and the swell is about 2 ft from the SE with a period of 8 seconds. Not big, but clean and rideable. That’s your best window.
Otherwise, there’s a long gap with no good options from the 8th all the way to the 22nd. It’s a flat spell. Keep the board ready, but don’t rush out.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 33°C on Fri afternoon, min 23°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 21°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | NE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NE 5 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 26 | 25 | 34 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 14 | 23 | 16 | 32 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 75 | 166 | 152 | 79 | 43 | 43 | 19 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | off | cross-on | glassy | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:43PM1.10m | 3:00AM0.86m | 3:43PM1.15m | 4:05AM0.86m | 4:45PM1.21m | 5:10AM0.88m | 5:46PM1.27m | 6:12AM0.92m | 6:44PM1.32m | 7:11AM0.97m | 7:40PM1.34m | 8:07AM1.02m | 8:34PM1.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:19AM0.01m | 9:14PM0.13m | 9:12AM-0.01m | 10:16PM0.09m | 10:09AM-0.02m | 11:19PM0.05m | 11:09AM-0.05m | 00:21AM-0.00m | 12:10PM-0.09m | 1:19AM-0.05m | 1:10PM-0.12m | 2:12AM-0.10m | 2:07PM-0.14m | 3:02AM-0.12m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — |
 | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 34 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | SSE 5 | NE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NE 5 | ENE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 |
| kJ | 20 | 19 | 34 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 14 | 23 | 16 | 32 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 79 | 43 | 43 | 19 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | E 11 | ENE 7 | SSE 8 | NE 7 | SSE 4 | E 9 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | E 8 | — | — | — | ESE 9 | SE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 21 | 15 | 2 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 15 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | ESE 8 | S 4 | ENE 9 | E 9 | — | E 9 | SSE 6 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 9 | — | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | NE 5 | — | SE 5 | SE 4 | SW 3 | NNW 3 | — | NNE 3 | NE 5 | — | — | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | — | — | SE 5 | S 3 |
| kJ | 26 | 25 | — | 7 | 16 | 2 | 1 | — | 4 | 32 | — | — | 2 | 11 | 75 | 166 | 152 | — | — | 9 | 8 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 176 | 745 | 16 | 78 | 746 | 0 | 78 | 78 | 137 | 4 | 138 | 242 | 242 | 252 | 378 | 878 | 868 | 927 | 210 | 419 | 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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