Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, E swell with 251 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period with ESE 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 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s 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 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 5PM. 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.
Well, I gotta be straight with you — it’s a tough stretch ahead. The forecast is pretty flat for most of the period, and what swell does show up is gonna be messy. We’re looking at a long gap of poor conditions before anything even remotely rideable appears.
The first real chance to get wet isn’t until late in the week. Thursday, September 10th is the only day that’s even worth a mention. Pelican Watch picks up a tiny ESE swell of 3ft, coming from the southeast. It’s weak, with combined wave energy sitting at just 58 (weak), but the saving grace is the wind. We’ve got a light breeze from the southwest, which is a clean cross-offshore. That’s gonna make the surface glassy and smooth. Sure, it’s small, but for a beginner-friendly spot, it’s the only window we’ve got. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
Beyond that, it’s a desert. The rest of the first week and all of the second week are basically a write-off. We get a few more days of clean cross-offshore wind on the 11th, 12th, and 13th, but the swell drops back to a pathetic 1ft – 2ft, and it’s mostly short-period windswell. The energy is barely registering (21 to 49). It’s just not enough to push a wave you’d actually want to paddle for.
The second week is even quieter. There’s a glimpse of something on Friday, September 18th afternoon, where the swell is still tiny (1ft) but the period stretches out to 10 seconds, and it goes glassy. The energy jumps to 55, which is still weak, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see. It’s surfable, but only just. Then on the 20th, the wind howls onshore from the northeast at 18 mph, and the swell jumps to 3ft, but it’s a lumpy, choppy mess with moderate energy (204). That’s not a surf day – that’s a kite day if you’re into that sort of thing.
In short, if you’re desperate, get out on the morning of the 10th. Otherwise, save your energy. The blank run is real, and it’s normal for this area when the patterns don’t line up.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Sat night, min 24°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Sat night, fresh winds from the ENE by Mon morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 31°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15 | 6 | 16 | 97 | 119 | 106 | 106 | 176 | 251 | 128 | 88 | 68 | 57 | 57 | 41 | 16 | 14 | 26 | 18 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 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 | ||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | 7:31 | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — |
mm | 8 | — | — | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 28 |
Feels °C | 33 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | S 5 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | — | — | — | E 9 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 15 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 11 | — | — | — | 2 | 88 | 68 | 57 | 57 | 41 | 16 | 14 | 26 | 18 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | — | S 5 | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | SE 9 | E 9 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 6 | E 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 16 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 19 | 1 | — | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SW 4 | E 6 | — | — | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | E 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | — | ENE 2 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 5 |
| kJ | 16 | — | 1 | 97 | 119 | 106 | 106 | 176 | 251 | 128 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 13 | 10 | 26 | 32 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1670 | 837 | 821 | 355 | 630 | 575 | 489 | 489 | 140 | 30 | 30 | 140 | 612 | 0 | 769 | 352 | 575 | 764 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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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