Surf Forecasts:
Virginia Beach surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, NE swell with 52 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Virginia Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Virginia Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Virginia Beach in the next 16 days are 0.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 5s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Virginia Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s look at what’s in store for Virginia Beach. Straight up, it’s pretty bleak for a long stretch here.
Right now we’re looking at over a week of small, weak surf and poor conditions. From the start on Sunday, August 16th, through to Wednesday, August 26th afternoon, there’s really nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, mostly 2 to 2ft, with very short periods and weak combined energy (mostly below 60). The wind is often onshore or cross-onshore, leaving the surface choppy and messy. There’s a deep, quiet spell here – a solid ten days where the surf just isn’t happening.
The first glimmer of something comes late on Wednesday, August 26th afternoon. Virginia Beach gets a little 1ft swell out of the ESE with a period stretching out to 16 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The combined energy is still low at 76, but with a light offshore breeze from the WSW cleaning it up, it’s just barely surfable. Not a standout, but a sign of life.
Things start to ramp up toward the end of the month. You see a jump in wave energy on Thursday, August 27th morning, hitting 150, but the wind is cross-shore and choppy. The swell is only 2ft, so it’s not worth chasing.
The true standout window is Sunday, August 30th morning. Virginia Beach gets a solid 8ft swell from the ENE with a period of 8 seconds and combined energy screaming up to 597. That’s powerful surf. The morning is glassy – that’s a huge plus – so the conditions will be clean. Now, 8ft is getting into expert territory; beginners should sit this one out. The wind is glassy. This is the best you’re going to get in the whole outlook. The swell direction is ENE, and the optimum for the spot is ESE, but when the waves are this size and the wind is off, you take it.
Following that, Sunday afternoon stays big at 7ft but goes onshore with a light east wind, making it less appealing. Monday, August 31st morning drops down to 5ft with a north crosswind.
So there you have it. A long dry spell, a couple of small hopeful days, and one true standout on Sunday, August 30th morning when it all comes together. Stay patient. This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 33°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Thu night. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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 5 | E 5 | SE 8 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | ESE 7 | SE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | NE 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 11 | 11 | 11 | 32 | 12 | 19 | 32 | 14 | 47 | 40 | 34 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 13 | 16 | 33 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 10:33PM1.13m | 11:07AM1.20m | 11:16PM1.04m | 11:53AM1.16m | 11:58PM0.95m | 12:38PM1.12m | 00:42AM0.87m | 1:26PM1.07m | 1:30AM0.81m | 2:19PM1.03m | 2:26AM0.76m | 3:19PM1.01m | 3:33AM0.75m | ||||||
Low Tide | 4:47AM-0.02m | 5:19PM0.10m | 5:30AM0.05m | 6:10PM0.17m | 6:14AM0.11m | 7:04PM0.23m | 7:00AM0.18m | 8:00PM0.28m | 7:49AM0.23m | 8:57PM0.31m | 8:42AM0.27m | 9:54PM0.32m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | 7:54 | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 17 | — | — | 13 |
Temp °C | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 33 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 31 | 36 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 32 | 14 | 47 | 40 | 34 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 22 | 9 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 5 | SE 8 | E 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 7 | E 13 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | E 6 | E 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 7 | — | ESE 8 | E 10 | E 13 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 16 | — | SE 6 | E 14 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | — | 6 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 2 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | E 5 | SE 3 | SSE 4 | SW 3 | — | NE 2 | N 3 | N 3 | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | W 3 | NNE 6 | NE 5 |
| kJ | 11 | 11 | 9 | 32 | 2 | — | 1 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 19 | 22 | 1 | 6 | 33 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1133 | 930 | 2869 | 4 | 134 | 99 | 134 | 180 | 619 | 12 | 246 | 744 | 481 | 82 | 232 | 0 | 246 | 930 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Virginia Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Virginia Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Virginia Beach 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 (Virginia Beach) 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 Virginia Beach 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.
Virginia Beach is 3 km (2 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.
Nearest