Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 17 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.0° C
0.1° 

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 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, SSW swell with 135 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 1.4m 6s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11AM (Tue 18th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Best Surf11AM (Tue 18th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Most Powerful 8AM (Mon 24th Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 6s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be honest with you, the next couple of weeks look pretty flat and uninspiring. We're in for a long stretch of small, weak surf, but there's a tiny window of hope if you're willing to wait.

Your first real look at anything worth getting wet for is on Tuesday, August 26th. The swell energy finally jumps up, breaking the run of tiny dribblers. It's still small, a clean 2ft face, but the period is a long 16 seconds. The water temp is about normal for this time of year. The spot to look at is Pelican Watch—it’s a consistent, exposed break that can handle that longer-period energy. The wind is forecast to be a light cross-offshore breeze in the morning, which should keep things clean.

The afternoon could see a bit more push, but the wind picks up and makes it less inviting. It won't be perfect, but it's the best we've got. Just be aware, crowds are likely there.

After that, there's a brief tease on Friday, August 29th with a bit of energy still in the water. You're looking at 2ft from the SE, with a light cross-offshore breeze in the afternoon. The period drops to 9 seconds, so it loses some of that grunt, but it could still be fun. The morning looks a bit ragged with a cross-shore wind, so the afternoon is the better call. Nothing special, but you might find a few.

From there, it slips back into a weak, small pattern, with only marginal surf on the 1st and 2nd of September. The 2nd looks glassy but totally gutless. It's going to be a frustrating stretch, but that Tuesday the 26th is your best shot for a worthwhile surf.

Keep the wax on, and stay patient.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 33°C on Tue afternoon, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Sun afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Sat afternoon, strong winds from the WSW by Sun afternoon).

Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
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)
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
12
0.6
SE
11
0.5
SE
10
0.5
SE
9
0.5
SE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.3
ESE
9
0.7
S
5
0.3
ESE
9
0.9
S
6
0.2
ESE
12
1
S
6
0.2
ESE
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
21
35
75
48
42
40
30
18
17
17
17
13
15
22
17
50
15
76
14
Wind (km/h)
15
SW
10
SSW
20
S
15
SW
10
SE
20
S
5
S
15
SSW
20
S
20
SW
20
SSW
20
SSW
15
SSW
20
SW
10
SW
15
W
15
SSW
40
WSW
5
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
glassy
High Tide
00:04AM1.23m
12:43PM1.42m
00:51AM1.11m
1:37PM1.38m
1:43AM1.01m
2:35PM1.35m
2:42AM0.95m
3:36PM1.34m
3:45AM0.93m
4:35PM1.36m
4:45AM0.96m
5:28PM1.40m
Low Tide
6:03AM0.09m
6:57PM0.24m
6:47AM0.16m
7:58PM0.31m
7:36AM0.22m
9:04PM0.36m
8:31AM0.25m
10:09PM0.37m
9:31AM0.26m
11:06PM0.34m
10:29AM0.23m
11:54PM0.30m
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:35
6:35
6:37
6:37
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:55
7:54
7:53
7:52
7:52
7:50
7:49
 mm
3
1
5
11
3
8
1
Temp °C
30
32
33
30
31
32
28
31
32
29
30
31
28
27
28
28
28
26
25
Feels °C
33
34
33
33
35
35
34
34
34
32
32
33
32
29
29
29
30
25
29
  • 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
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Pelican Watch:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest