Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 14 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period, ENE swell with 176 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Pelican Watch this week:
The surf forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 14) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 1.6m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: Pelican Watch has a rough 16 days ahead. We’ve got a long, frustrating wait at the start with no surf worth mentioning until well into the second week. From now through Friday 26 September, conditions are either flat, chopped up by onshore winds, or delivering tiny, weak waves. You'll see a solid gap of nothing special from Monday 14 September all the way through to Friday 25 September. Even then, it’s not exactly pumping.
The first glimmer of something happens on the morning of Saturday 26 September. A modest 4ft swell rolls in from the ENE with a short, weak 6-second period, but combined energy is only moderate at 214. The wind swings cross-off from the NW, keeping the surface clean. It’s marginal—tide questions linger. This one’s for patient beginners after a long dry spell. By Saturday afternoon, the swell drops to 2ft, but the period stretches to a very long 13 seconds and the energy sits at 209. That long-period groundswell will hold up best at a reef or point, but Pelican Watch is exposed and these waves might break too straight for much fun. Wind stays clean and cross-off. Still, it’s the standout of the whole outlook, and it’s nothing giant.
Sunday 27 September morning sees 2ft from the east with a 12-second period and clean offshore west wind. Energy is moderate at 188. The surf is ordinary but rideable. Sunday afternoon gets a little bump to 5ft from the east, period dropping to 6 seconds and energy at 173, with a gentle offshore from the WSW. Again, surfable but nothing special.
Monday 28 September morning brings 3ft easterly swell at 6 seconds, energy 135, and a clean cross-off from the NNW. By Monday afternoon, the swell lifts to 4ft with a 10-second period and energy jumps to 319, but the wind is onshore from the ESE, so conditions turn poor.
The water temperature anomaly? No specific value provided, so I can’t tell you if it’s warmer or cooler than average. Just know it’s what it is.
If you’re a beginner, the clean windows on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 are your best bet with small, manageable waves. For anyone else, it’s a waiting game. The long-period stuff on the 26th might give a few clean lines if you’re on the right board and pick your peak. Don’t hold your breath for anything epic.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 22°C on Tue morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 21°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 39 | 49 | 49 | 140 | 108 | 91 | 80 | 50 | 64 | 41 | 89 | 100 | 35 | 27 | 26 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 20 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:04PM1.43m | 10:30AM1.62m | 10:45PM1.31m | 11:13AM1.56m | 11:27PM1.20m | 11:59AM1.50m | 00:12AM1.10m | 12:50PM1.43m | 1:03AM1.03m | 1:48PM1.37m | 2:03AM0.99m | 2:51PM1.35m | 3:09AM0.99m | ||||||
Low Tide | 3:59AM0.06m | 4:42PM0.13m | 4:37AM0.12m | 5:30PM0.22m | 5:16AM0.20m | 6:21PM0.30m | 5:59AM0.26m | 7:18PM0.37m | 6:49AM0.32m | 8:21PM0.42m | 7:48AM0.35m | 9:26PM0.43m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | |
 | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — |
 | 7:21 | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 34 | 28 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | E 8 | SE 14 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 39 | 49 | 49 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 50 | 40 | 35 | 27 | 26 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 20 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | E 15 | — | — | — | SE 14 | — | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | E 6 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 12 | 4 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | — | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 4 | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 16 | — | — | 140 | 108 | 91 | 80 | 50 | 64 | 41 | 89 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 837 | 1205 | 1714 | 1707 | 30 | 1230 | 1230 | 110 | 30 | 140 | 110 | 138 | 1680 | 253 | 243 | 1232 | 1232 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Pelican Watch 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 Pelican Watch Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Pelican Watch provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Pelican Watch can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Pelican Watch 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 (Pelican Watch) 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 Pelican Watch 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.
Pelican Watch is 26 km (16 miles) from the city of Wilmington. If you plan a vacation in North Carolina, look for hotels and other accommodation in Wilmington. Wilmington has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest