Virginia Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me break down the situation for Virginia Beach. To be straight with you, it’s looking pretty grim for the next couple of weeks. The combined swell energy is weak, barely breaking 100 at times, and we’ve got a long stretch with hardly any surf worth paddling out for. There’s a real gap from now all the way through to the middle of next week with nothing that’d get me excited. Most of the time, the waves are tiny and the wind is onshore or cross-on, making a mess of things.

Let’s start with the early days. Tuesday the 15th through to Monday the 21st, we’re looking at flat to knee-high slop. Swell heights are around 1 ft to 3 ft, but the period is short—6 to 9 seconds—so no real push. Wind is mostly onshore from the ENE or ESE, or cross-on, keeping things choppy and uninviting. There’s a brief moment on Friday the 18th morning where the wind goes light cross-off from the SW and conditions clean up, but the wave height is only 2 ft. That’s barely a ripple. A glassy moment on Monday the 21st morning with a 1 ft swell and light wind from the south, but again, it’s tiny.

Things start to change around Wednesday the 23rd. Wednesday morning shows a bit of life: 2 ft swell from the ENE with a 7-second period, combined energy at 64, and a light cross-off wind from the SW making it clean. The report calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d agree—it’s not much. Thursday the 24th morning is better: similar 3 ft ENE swell, 7-second period, but the combined energy jumps to 136. Glassy conditions with a light NNE breeze. Decent for a beginner session, but nothing special.

Then we get to the real standout. The best window across the whole forecast is Friday the 25th afternoon. Swell height hits 5 ft from the ENE, period only 5 seconds, but the combined energy is at 200. More importantly, the wind goes glassy from the NW, and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” For Virginia Beach, that’s the one to aim for. The swell is clean and glassy—perfect for the beach/jetty setup there. It’s a bit short-period, so don’t expect long walls, but for fun, punchy waves, this is it. It’s also not too big for intermediate surfers, though beginners might find it a touch strong.

Saturday the 26th morning is also in the mix: 5 ft from the ENE, 8-second period, combined energy at 215, and a cross-off NW wind at 12 mph keeping it clean. It’s good, but the wind is more moderate, so not as glassy as Friday. A solid alternative if you miss the Friday window.

After that, Sunday the 27th gets messy with onshore wind again, and the swell fades. The last glimmer is Tuesday the 30th morning—4 ft ENE swell, 6-second period, combined energy 118, but clean cross-off wind from the SW. Nothing special, just clean small waves.

Overall, the water temp is about 80°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—over 5°F above average. That’s unusual, but it’s comfortable. For crowds, Virginia Beach can get busy sometimes, but with conditions this mediocre, it shouldn’t be packed.

My pick: Friday the 25th afternoon. That glassy 5 ft ENE swell is the best we’ve got. A close second would be Saturday the 26th morning. If you can, get out there Friday.

Rusty.

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