Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 8 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, ENE swell with 472 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with SSW 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. 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 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 09) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
Hey, it’s Rusty. Let me break down Pelican Watch for you.
Look, it’s a pretty flat run for the next couple of weeks. We got a long stretch of small, weak surf with just a few windows that might give you a wave. First real chance to paddle out won’t be until Friday, July 10th, when a tiny bit of swell shows up.
Honestly, for a proper surf, the one worth highlighting is Friday afternoon on July 17th. That afternoon, we get a bump of swell from the SSW at 6ft with a short 7-second period. The combined swell energy hits 442, which is the most punch we’ll see the whole time. That’s a bit solid, over 5ft, so it’s one for the experienced crew. Wind is light from the south at about 6 mph, giving us a clean, cross-off breeze. This is our best shot, but it’s over a week out, so treat it as promising but not locked in.
Before that, the mornings on Friday July 10th and Saturday July 11th offer tiny waves around 2ft to 3ft from the south with a short, weak 6-second period, but with a light offshore wind. Just small-wave fun, nothing special. Sunday morning July 12th is glassy with a 1ft SE swell, but it’s barely moving. Wednesday morning July 15th is also glassy, but again, tiny at 2ft.
For most of the other days, it’s cross-shore or onshore breezes, chopped-up conditions, and poor surf. Wednesday July 16th through the end is a lot of windy, messy days with a few clean windows of tiny, weak swell. Tuesday morning July 21st has a glassy 2ft south swell, but it’s more of a drift than a surf.
Water temp is about normal for the time of year. This spot can get crowded on a clean day. It’s a beginner-friendly beach that’s usually fairly consistent, but right now there’s no real size or quality to get excited about. If you’re into kite surfing, those windier afternoons with a bit more swell, like Monday July 13th or Tuesday July 14th, will look much better than they do for a surfer.
So, bottom line: keep an eye on that Friday afternoon July 17th, or grab a tiny clean session on July 10th or 11th. Otherwise, it’s a lot of staring at flat water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 34°C on Wed afternoon, min 27°C on Fri morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Sun afternoon. Warm (max 35°C on Sat afternoon, min 23°C on Mon afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tue 14 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SE 9 | SSW 7 | S 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 21 | 21 | 32 | 33 | 20 | 19 | 141 | 70 | 13 | 149 | 39 | 50 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 72 | 190 | 472 | 335 | 359 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 1:49AM1.15m | 2:43PM1.41m | 2:48AM1.09m | 3:44PM1.51m | 3:50AM1.06m | 4:45PM1.62m | 4:55AM1.06m | 5:46PM1.73m | 5:58AM1.09m | 6:44PM1.80m | 6:59AM1.15m | 7:40PM1.85m | 7:57AM1.22m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:56AM-0.00m | 8:56PM0.18m | 8:49AM-0.04m | 10:06PM0.14m | 9:46AM-0.08m | 11:12PM0.09m | 10:47AM-0.13m | 00:14AM0.02m | 11:48AM-0.18m | 1:11AM-0.04m | 12:47PM-0.22m | 2:05AM-0.09m | 1:46PM-0.24m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | |  | |  |  | | |
 | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — |
 | 8:25 | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 7 | — | 8 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 32 | 34 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 29 | 32 | 35 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
Feels °C | 29 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 26 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 6 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 6 | SE 9 | S 5 |
| kJ | 21 | 21 | 32 | 33 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 39 | 13 | 31 | 24 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 13 | — | E 12 | E 6 | E 6 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 9 | E 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | — | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 5 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 22 | 30 | — | 6 | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 7 | — | SSW 6 | NNW 2 | — | S 6 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 69 | 31 | 44 | 87 | 33 | 67 | 141 | 70 | 111 | 149 | — | 50 | 1 | — | 34 | 25 | 72 | 190 | 472 | 335 | 359 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 278 | 17 | 243 | 531 | 21 | 351 | 304 | 0 | 527 | 519 | 0 | 1580 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 23 | 54 | 219 | 42 | 42 | 23 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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