Pelican Beach Surf Guide

Pelican Beach in Newcastle is an exposed beach break that has quite consistent surf Offshore winds are from the north northwest with some shelter here from northeast winds. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the best swell direction is from the southeast. Waves at the beach are both lefts and rights. The quality of the surf isn't affected by the tide. Likely to be crowded if working. Beware of locals and sharks.

Pelican Beach Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach2fairly consistent
22.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Pelican Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Pelican Beach occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northwest.

What's the best time of year to surf Pelican Beach (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Pelican Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 38% of the time in July while 45% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 17% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
38%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
45%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
17%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Pelican Beach Location Map

Interactive Pelican Beach surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Pelican Beach is Newcastle Airport (NTL) in Australia, 62 km (39 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Pelican Beach is Richmond Airport (RCM), also in Australia, 80 km (50 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Pelican Beach Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 16:08 Local Time
Thursday 07
1PM4PM7PM10PM
Wave (m)
1.1
E
1
E
1.7
SSW
2.3
SSW
Period (s) 10 10 7 9
Wind (km/h)
35
35
30
25
Wind State cross-
off
cross cross cross

Swell History at Pelican Beach

Surf stats for Pelican Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Pelican Beach

Wind stats for Pelican Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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