Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 05 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.5°C
1.0° 

Pelican Watch surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Pelican Watch surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, E swell with 320 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 6s 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 Thursday (Sep 10) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 8PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Thu 10th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 6s
Best Surf 8AM (Thu 10th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 6s
Most Powerful 5AM (Tue 8th Sep)6ft (1.8m) 7s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf at Pelican Watch. We’ve got a real flat spell on the horizon. The guidance shows nothing that’s going to get the heart pumping. The first bit of real swell energy doesn't even show up until Monday the 7th, and even then, it’s coming in with strong onshore winds, making it a messy, lumpy mess. We’re talking a solid four days of pretty much nothing to start with.

The ocean’s going to be small and weak, with the combined energy barely registering over 20 to 30, which is just a pulse, not a wave. The water temp is sitting at a warm 83°, which is about normal for this time of year, a bit over a degree above average, so at least the wait will be comfortable.

The first sign of life arrives Monday the 7th with some chest to head-high swell, 5ft, from the ENE. But the wind is howling onshore from the same direction at 19 mph, and it's just going to be chopped-out, bumpy, and basically unrideable. The energy jumps to 193, but it’s all wind and no shape. That setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

Things don't really improve much through the week. We see a bit more energy Tuesday the 8th, with the combined swell reaching 254, but again, it's all onshore wind and poor quality. The period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be lacking any real punch. This trend continues for days, mostly onshore winds, with the swell fluctuating between knee and waist-high. It’s not until about Thursday the 10th that we get a little reprieve, a light offshore W wind on the morning, but the swell has dropped to 2ft and the energy is weak. Clean but tiny. Not worth getting wet for.

The long-range outlook for the second week is a continuation of the same story: weak energy and onshore winds. There’s a tiny window on Wednesday the 16th where the wind goes glassy in the morning, but there’s no swell to speak of. The energy is still in the 30s. It’s frustrating.

This is a classic blank run for the area. With the break only being "fairly consistent" at its best, this kind of flat, windy period is more normal than not. So, keep the board in the car, but don’t hold your breath. Forecaster confidence is always higher for the next few days, and that forecast is poor, so for the back half, we’re just hoping for a change in the weather pattern.

Stay patient. The ocean will wake up eventually. It always does.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 32°C on Sat afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Sun morning, fresh winds from the ENE by Mon morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
S
5
0.3
ESE
8
0.8
SSW
5
0.5
S
5
0.3
ESE
9
1.3
ENE
5
1.6
ENE
6
1.6
ENE
6
1.8
E
7
1.6
E
7
1.4
E
7
1.2
ESE
6
0.9
ESE
6
0.8
ESE
6
0.7
SE
6
0.6
SE
6
0.4
ESE
6
0.4
SE
6
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
1.1
ENE
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
12
11
29
11
16
82
188
164
303
254
187
110
60
49
39
25
15
9
28
18
88
Wind (km/h)
10
WSW
25
SSW
15
W
10
NNE
15
ESE
25
ENE
30
ENE
30
ENE
25
ENE
25
ENE
25
E
15
E
15
NE
15
ESE
10
SSW
10
W
25
SW
15
WSW
25
ENE
20
ENE
25
ENE
Wind State
off
cross-off
off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
on
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
cross-on
on
on
High Tide
3:10PM1.61m
3:27AM1.12m
4:20PM1.64m
4:38AM1.18m
5:23PM1.68m
5:42AM1.29m
6:19PM1.70m
6:39AM1.41m
7:10PM1.71m
7:30AM1.51m
7:57PM1.68m
8:18AM1.59m
8:41PM1.62m
Low Tide
8:08AM0.10m
9:41PM0.25m
9:21AM0.09m
10:47PM0.21m
10:32AM0.05m
11:44PM0.14m
11:37AM0.00m
00:35AM0.08m
12:36PM-0.04m
1:20AM0.02m
1:30PM-0.05m
2:03AM-0.01m
2:21PM-0.05m
2:43AM-0.01m
clear
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:47
6:48
6:48
6:48
6:50
6:50
6:50
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:31
7:30
7:29
7:28
7:27
7:24
7:23
 mm
22
1
1
9
1
3
1
2
Temp °C
30
32
29
25
27
27
27
27
26
26
27
26
26
27
26
28
31
28
26
25
26
Feels °C
33
33
31
27
28
28
24
24
24
24
25
24
27
27
28
30
31
29
25
24
25
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
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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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