Virginia · Wednesday, Sep 23

Croatan

Updated Tue, Sep 22, 8:20 PM EDT

When to go

12:00 PM–2:00 PM

Strong wind — difficult conditions · Low confidence

6.6–6.7 ft · Offshore waves · not face height

Strong wind: 23.5 kt · direction unavailable

Cautions

Strong wind or gusts up to 22.5 kt can make the session difficult; being first in the list does not make conditions good.
Strong wind or gusts up to 32.7 kt can make the session difficult; being first in the list does not make conditions good.
Strong wind or gusts up to 34.2 kt can make the session difficult; being first in the list does not make conditions good.

Forecast details

This is the best time in the forecast, though wind may make it choppy.

Other wind windows

Plan around the wind

The best available upcoming daylight wind sample to compare with the wave evidence. This compares wind only; wave size, tide suitability, and hazards can change your choice.

10:00 AM–12:00 PM · America/New_York
Strong wind · up to 21.2 kt · reported gusts up to 30.7 kt
Caution: This is the best available wind comparison, not a favorable-wind label. Strong wind remains in the selected evidence.
Offshore waves: 6.5–6.6 ft across the period. Surf height unavailable. Tide data available; check the local tide response.
Wind source time: Sep 22, 7:30 PM EDT. This is not the model run issue time.

How these periods are chosen

The planner prefers three consecutive hourly samples covering two daylight hours, but retains shorter one- or two-sample evidence when that is all the forecast provides. Light wind means at most 6 kt. Moderate offshore means at most 12 kt from land toward the sea when shore orientation is verified. Strong wind or known gusts of 20 kt or more remain visible as cautions instead of making the entire comparison disappear. These are comparison labels, not locally tested surf-quality or safety ratings. Missing gusts remain unknown. Terrain shelter, currents, closures, and your ability are not assessed.

Forecast confidence

Returned marine grid point is 11.8 km from the mapped spot. Provider grid resolution is not established for this response.
Reference model hour: 12 hours from now; historical residuals do not measure forecast lead-time error.
No accepted local model for these inputs: missing history, unsupported direction/period/height, or failed historical validation.
A mapped coordinate does not establish nearshore grid resolution or terrain/shelter accuracy.

Wind NNE 20.7 kt

Tide 2.5 ft falling

Wave, wind and tide details

Offshore model swellENE 2.6 ft @ 8sValid 2026-09-23 08:00 · America/New_YorkMarine grid 36.7083, -75.8750 · offshore model, not a local measurement

Offshore model sea6.4 ft @ 7.4sSignificant wave height including wind waves and swell; not breaking surfValid 2026-09-23 08:00 · America/New_York

Model windNNE 20.7 ktcross-shoreValid 2026-09-23 08:00 · America/New_York5.4 kt onshore component

Tide2.5 ftfallingVirginia Beach, Rudee Inlet station 8639208 · predicted height relative to MLLWRetrieved Sep 22, 8:26 PM EDT · provider issue time unavailable61% of adjacent local low–high range · descriptive, not a safety rating

Surf height unavailable. Coastal and offshore waves are not breaking-wave heights.

Surf and wind

Recommended window: No recommended window

Breaking surf is not reliably resolved. Hourly offshore swell and wind inputs are listed below.

Hourly forecast

Hourly surf forecast for Croatan
Time	Wind	Tide	Offshore swell
12 AM	NE 18.7 ktcross-shore	1 ftrising	ENE 2.4 ft @ 7s
1 AM	NE 18.6 ktcross-shore	1.5 ftrising	ENE 2.6 ft @ 7s
2 AM	NNE 19.7 ktcross-shore	2 ftrising	ENE 2.8 ft @ 7s
3 AM	NNE 20.4 ktcross-shore	2 ftrising	ENE 2.7 ft @ 7s
4 AM	NNE 20.2 ktcross-shore	2.5 ftrising	ENE 2.6 ft @ 8s
5 AM	NNE 20.1 ktcross-shore	3 ftrising	E 2.5 ft @ 8s
6 AM	NNE 20.4 ktcross-shore	3 ftfalling	E 2.6 ft @ 8s
7 AM	NNE 21.1 ktcross-shore	2.5 ftfalling	E 2.6 ft @ 8s
8 AM	NNE 20.7 ktcross-shore	2.5 ftfalling	ENE 2.6 ft @ 8s
9 AM	NNE 22.3 ktcross-shore	2 ftfalling	ENE 2.6 ft @ 8s
10 AM	NNE 21.2 ktcross-shore	1.5 ftfalling	ENE 2.6 ft @ 8s
11 AM	N 20 ktcross-shore	1 ftnear low	ENE 2.6 ft @ 8s
Noon	NNE 15.9 ktcross-shore	1 ftrising	ENE 2.7 ft @ 8s
1 PM	NE 22.6 ktonshore	1.5 ftrising	ENE 2.8 ft @ 9s
2 PM	NE 23.5 ktonshore	2 ftrising	ENE 2.9 ft @ 9s
3 PM	NE 24.6 ktcross-shore	2.5 ftrising	ENE 2.8 ft @ 9s
4 PM	NE 23.9 ktcross-shore	3 ftrising	E 2.7 ft @ 9s
5 PM	NE 23.3 ktcross-shore	3.5 ftrising	E 2.6 ft @ 9s
6 PM	NNE 23.3 ktcross-shore	3.5 ftfalling	E 2.5 ft @ 9s
7 PM	NNE 24 ktcross-shore	3 ftfalling	ENE 2.5 ft @ 9s
8 PM	NE 24.3 ktcross-shore	2.5 ftfalling	ENE 2.4 ft @ 9s
9 PM	NNE 23.8 ktcross-shore	2 ftfalling	ENE 2.6 ft @ 9s
10 PM	NE 23.5 ktcross-shore	1.5 ftfalling	ENE 2.8 ft @ 9s
11 PM	NE 23.9 ktcross-shore	1 ftfalling	ENE 3.0 ft @ 9s

12 AMUnavailable

WindNE 18.7 ktcross-shoreTide1 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.4 ft @ 7s

1 AMUnavailable

WindNE 18.6 ktcross-shoreTide1.5 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 7s

2 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 19.7 ktcross-shoreTide2 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.8 ft @ 7s

3 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 20.4 ktcross-shoreTide2 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.7 ft @ 7s

4 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 20.2 ktcross-shoreTide2.5 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 8s

5 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 20.1 ktcross-shoreTide3 ftrisingOffshore swellE 2.5 ft @ 8s

6 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 20.4 ktcross-shoreTide3 ftfallingOffshore swellE 2.6 ft @ 8s

7 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 21.1 ktcross-shoreTide2.5 ftfallingOffshore swellE 2.6 ft @ 8s

8 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 20.7 ktcross-shoreTide2.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 8s

9 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 22.3 ktcross-shoreTide2 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 8s

10 AMUnavailable

WindNNE 21.2 ktcross-shoreTide1.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 8s

11 AMUnavailable

WindN 20 ktcross-shoreTide1 ftnear lowOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 8s

NoonUnavailable

WindNNE 15.9 ktcross-shoreTide1 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.7 ft @ 8s

1 PMUnavailable

WindNE 22.6 ktonshoreTide1.5 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.8 ft @ 9s

2 PMUnavailable

WindNE 23.5 ktonshoreTide2 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.9 ft @ 9s

3 PMUnavailable

WindNE 24.6 ktcross-shoreTide2.5 ftrisingOffshore swellENE 2.8 ft @ 9s

4 PMUnavailable

WindNE 23.9 ktcross-shoreTide3 ftrisingOffshore swellE 2.7 ft @ 9s

5 PMUnavailable

WindNE 23.3 ktcross-shoreTide3.5 ftrisingOffshore swellE 2.6 ft @ 9s

6 PMUnavailable

WindNNE 23.3 ktcross-shoreTide3.5 ftfallingOffshore swellE 2.5 ft @ 9s

7 PMUnavailable

WindNNE 24 ktcross-shoreTide3 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.5 ft @ 9s

8 PMUnavailable

WindNE 24.3 ktcross-shoreTide2.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.4 ft @ 9s

9 PMUnavailable

WindNNE 23.8 ktcross-shoreTide2 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.6 ft @ 9s

10 PMUnavailable

WindNE 23.5 ktcross-shoreTide1.5 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 2.8 ft @ 9s

11 PMUnavailable

WindNE 23.9 ktcross-shoreTide1 ftfallingOffshore swellENE 3.0 ft @ 9s

Tide

Virginia Beach, Rudee Inlet station 8639208 · MLLW

Interpolated tide height Recommended window

About this spot

Model-grid forecast requested at the mapped coordinate; reef, headland, and nearshore transformations are unresolved. Beach/jetty break.

Mapped spot coordinate: 36.79, -75.96.

Mainland · Coast not verified · Ocean-facing bearing 90° · Location provenance

Model request point: Virginia (36.79, -75.96). Model output times describe valid conditions; the provider does not expose the model run issue time in this response.

Forecast sources

Data coverage 3/4 sources

Source availability is not forecast accuracy. Where an empirical model passes historical testing, its error and interval coverage are shown above. Source count cannot increase that confidence.

Coverage tier A · US_EAST · spot-level model point

Official breaking-surf report not connected for VirginiaUnavailableUnavailable · Unavailable

US National Weather Service Surf Zone Forecast
No current NWS surf-zone period passed the explicit per-spot forecast-zone assignment.UnavailableNo source time
NOAA NDBC real-time station files
Current buoy observations are not forecasts for the selected future date.Not applicableNo source time
NOAA CO-OPS Tides and Currents API
Virginia Beach, Rudee Inlet station 8639208; predicted high/low events above MLLW, converted to feet. Timestamp is retrieval time; provider issue time is not supplied.CurrentSep 22, 8:26 PM EDT
Open-Meteo Marine API
1 of 1 configured model points availableCurrentSep 22, 7:30 PM EDT
Open-Meteo Weather API
1 of 1 configured model points availableCurrentSep 22, 7:30 PM EDT
Surf-Forecast public pages
Spot discovery and break-specific HTML fallbackNot applicableNo source time
Surfline public spot pages
Break-specific comparison, cams, and metadataNot applicableNo source time

How best guesses are made

Best guesses combine usable wave and wind evidence, with qualitative confidence and specific limitations. A missing tide or local surf-height model does not prevent useful guidance. Tide levels use the named station datum; their effect at this break remains uncertain. Wind direction is relative to the mapped beach orientation, without calibrated terrain or shelter effects. The comparison is a heuristic, not a measured quality rating.