Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 12s period, SE swell with 118 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 4s. 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 0.6m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break down what’s going on at Pelican Watch.
The water temp is sitting around 82°F, which is pretty average for the season—nothing to write home about. The issue is we’ve got a real lack of swell on the horizon. The combined wave energy is mostly in the dinky double digits (16 to 75), so it’s weak juice all the way.
From Wednesday the 12th through the middle of the following week, it’s pretty much a flat spell. Swell is tiny—0.7ft to 2ft—coming from the SE with a short period of 8 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross-off or onshore. Not much to get excited about. The spot is fairly consistent, but when the swell is this small, that doesn’t mean much.
We get a little bump in energy on the afternoon of Tuesday the 18th, with combined energy hitting 116 and the period stretching to 13 seconds, but it’s still only 1ft from the SE and cross-on. That’s a cruel tease.
The best window comes on the morning of Thursday the 20th. We’ve got glassy conditions, light offshore ESE wind, and clean surf. The swell is still small—only 1ft from the ESE with a period of 9 seconds—but with the glassy morning, it’s the most promising session. Combined energy is only 40, so it’s not going to be a standout, but it’s the best we’ve got.
After that, it’s more of the same: tiny swell, cross-off winds, and the occasional risk of thunderstorms. The afternoon of Wednesday the 26th is the only time the notes mention “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” with a score of 1 out of 10. That sums it up.
So, if you’re dead set on a paddle, the morning of Thursday the 20th is your best bet. Otherwise, it’s a pretty flat run. The setup is a beach, so with the tiny swell and light winds, it might also be a kite surfers’ spot if you’re into that.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 33°C on Thu afternoon, min 27°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 25°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 32 | 37 | 28 | 29 | 20 | 35 | 57 | 101 |
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 | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 8:17PM1.78m | 8:37AM1.43m | 9:05PM1.73m | 9:27AM1.48m | 9:50PM1.63m | 10:16AM1.51m | 10:35PM1.51m | 11:04AM1.50m | 11:19PM1.37m | 11:53AM1.47m | 00:04AM1.23m | 12:43PM1.42m | 00:51AM1.11m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:32AM-0.08m | 2:32PM-0.15m | 3:16AM-0.09m | 3:25PM-0.11m | 3:59AM-0.08m | 4:16PM-0.03m | 4:40AM-0.04m | 5:08PM0.06m | 5:21AM0.02m | 6:00PM0.15m | 6:03AM0.09m | 6:57PM0.24m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | |  | | |  | | | | | |  | |  | | |
 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 10 | — | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 32 | 29 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 30 | 32 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 4 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 10 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 32 | 37 | 28 | 29 | 20 | 35 | 45 | 101 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | SE 8 | — | E 13 | ESE 8 | E 12 | SSW 4 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | E 6 | S 4 | SSW 4 | E 6 | SE 9 | SSW 4 | SE 13 | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 10 | — | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 57 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 7 | — | — | — | ESE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 5 | — | E 6 | E 6 | — | SE 16 | SE 14 | SSW 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | 29 | 7 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | — | SSW 5 | WSW 4 | ENE 4 | E 4 | E 4 | ESE 4 | S 3 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | — | — | SSW 4 |
| kJ | 7 | 7 | — | 6 | 20 | — | 17 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 10 | — | — | 22 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1580 | 1580 | 1205 | 1160 | 1747 | 282 | 2540 | 1715 | 1763 | 1583 | 821 | 575 | 456 | 23 | 54 | 701 | 73 | 23 | 243 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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