Surf spot

42nd St. VA Beach

Forecast conditions and map view for 42nd St. VA Beach in USA, North East, Virginia. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: USA, North East, Virginia
Coordinates: 36.8709, -75.9820

Metric
Metric	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00
Wave height (m)	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.8	0.6	0.5	0.7	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4
Wave direction	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	NE	ESE	NE	ENE	SE	SE	SSE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SE	SSE	SE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	NNW	ESE	E	ENE	E	E	ENE	E	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	E	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	E	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE
Wave period (s)	3.8	3.9	4	3.9	4	4	4.3	4.3	3.5	4.7	4	2.9	2.9	3	3.6	3	3.2	3.3	4.7	3.5	5.2	4.5	5	4.8	5.2	7.5	7.6	7.5	7.5	6.8	3	5.7	4.5	4.2	4.5	5.8	4.8	5.5	5.9	5.5	4.7	5	5	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.9	5	5	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.4	5.4
Wave energy (kJ)	5	3	2	1	2	2	2	2	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	3	3	3	3	2	5	5	5	4	4	8	8	8	6	6	2	4	2	4	6	12	29	20	19	28	29	41	38	28	30	27	24	20	20	19	17	17	16	13	12	10
Wind speed (km/h)	22.8	19.3	11.6	9.7	11.1	17.4	20.1	16.8	13.4	14.1	18	15.3	23.2	23.2	25.8	20.9	9.1	13.7	12.2	11.3	12.6	7.4	7	3.6	8.2	9.2	8.2	12.4	14.3	19.5	23.8	25.4	21.6	18.6	18.8	17	15.2	16.9	16.9	18.4	15.2	10.5	8.6	13.9	16.8	17.6	15.5	12	12.2	7.4	3.3	8.9	18.7	22.3	19.2	17.7
Wind direction	WSWOffshore	WSWOffshore	WCross-off	NNWCross	NEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	EOnshore	ECross-on	ESECross-on	SECross	SECross	SECross	SECross	SSECross	WNWCross-off	WCross-off	SWOffshore	WSWOffshore	WCross-off	NCross-on	NNEOnshore	ESECross-on	EGlassy	SSECross-off	WOffshore	WNWCross-off	NNWCross-on	NNWCross-on	NEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	EOnshore	ECross-on	ECross-on	ECross-on	ECross-on	ESECross-on	ESECross-on	SECross-on	ESECross-on	ESECross-on	ESECross-on	ESECross-on	SECross	SECross	SECross	SSECross	SSWOffshore	SSWGlassy	SECross	SECross	SECross	SSECross	SSECross-off

42nd St. — Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

A classic Virginia Beach surf spot on the Atlantic coast, 42nd St. sits along the long, sandy, beach-break stretch of the city’s North End/Northeast side. It’s a fairly straightforward open-ocean beach break with shifting sandbars, so conditions can change a lot depending on swell, wind, and recent storms.

Wave type

Beach break
Waves are usually fast, peaky, and somewhat inconsistent
Best on clean groundswell with organized sandbars
Can offer lefts and rights, though the quality depends heavily on sand movement

Best conditions

Swell: E/SE or NE swell can light it up
Wind: Offshore or light winds are best; strong onshore wind can quickly make it messy
Tide: Often works best around mid tide to incoming tide, but this can vary

Skill level

Generally all levels, but surf quality can get punchy and crowded
Beginners can find manageable waves on smaller days
Intermediate surfers usually enjoy it more when the banks are lined up

Hazards / things to watch

Strong currents and rips can occur, especially after bigger surf
Sandbars shift, which can create surprise closeouts or shallow sections
Crowds are common when the surf is good, especially in peak season
As with many East Coast beach breaks, conditions can change quickly with weather systems

Vibe

Local, casual East Coast beach-break feel
Often busiest in spring, summer, and fall when waves and weather align
A dependable spot for shortboarders when the sandbars cooperate, and a fun place for longboarders on smaller, cleaner days