Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 02 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.2° 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 2 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 4 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, S swell with 487 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s 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 04) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. 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 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 11AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Tue 4th Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 7s
Best Surf 8AM (Tue 4th Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 7s
Most Powerful 2AM (Mon 3rd Aug)7ft (2.1m) 8s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I’m gonna be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with nothing really firing. The first real chance to get wet isn’t until the later part of the second week, and even then it’s a pretty average affair. The water’s sitting at a warm 83°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your buns off.

The only spot in the game is Pelican Watch. It’s a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent break that’s exposed to the SE swell, and it works best with a SE swell direction. Problem is, the swell just isn’t there for the first week and a half. We’ve got a weak pulse of energy on Sunday 2nd August with a swell around 5 ft from the SSE, but the combined energy is only around 206 (moderate), and the period is a short 6 seconds. That’s windswell, not proper groundswell. The wind is a cross-off SSW breeze at 16 mph, but the forecast is for "poor surf conditions" with a score of zero. It’s just not happening.

Monday 3rd through to Saturday 8th is the same sorry story – small, weak, short-period swell, with the combined energy dropping into the double digits (40-116 range). The wind stays mostly cross-off or cross, but the waves are just too small and weak to get excited about.

We hit a bit of a gap from about August 9th to the 11th where the energy drops to a measly 19-24 and the swell is under 3 ft. It’s a total flat spell.

Then, on Thursday 13th August, we get a tiny glimmer. The morning sees a 2 ft swell from the south, with a glassy, offshore wind from the WSW at 9 mph. The combined energy is only 70 (weak), but it’s clean. The call is "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s not a standout, but it’s the best we’ve got. Friday 14th morning is similar – 2 ft, glassy conditions with zero wind. Again, tiny, but clean.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums through the rest of the 16-day window. The energy stays in the teens and twenties, and the swell is tiny. There’s nothing here for the experienced crew, and even beginners will be scratching around for a ripple.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is a couple of mornings around August 13th-14th with tiny, clean waves. It’s not a classic, but if you’re desperate for a paddle and a few ankle-knockers, that’s your window. The rest of the time, you’re better off doing something else.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 86mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 24°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Sun night, light winds from the WSW by Tue morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 26°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
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
1
1
0
1
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)
1.6
SSE
6
1.7
SSE
7
2.1
S
8
1.6
S
7
1.7
S
7
1.4
S
7
0.7
SE
7
0.7
SE
6
0.7
SE
6
0.9
SSE
6
0.9
SE
6
0.9
SSE
6
0.9
SSE
5
0.6
ESE
7
0.8
SE
6
0.7
SE
6
0.8
SE
7
0.8
SE
8
0.9
SE
8
0.9
SE
8
0.9
SE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
205
294
487
269
255
171
43
40
41
60
56
65
37
30
43
39
62
86
115
109
91
Wind (km/h)
25
SSW
30
SSW
30
SSW
20
SW
20
S
15
SW
15
SSW
20
SSE
15
S
15
SSE
15
SE
15
S
15
SSW
15
S
10
SSW
10
S
15
S
15
S
10
SE
15
SE
10
S
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
10:50AM1.29m
11:02PM1.38m
11:33AM1.34m
11:43PM1.30m
12:22PM1.40m
00:29AM1.21m
1:16PM1.46m
1:22AM1.12m
2:17PM1.51m
2:24AM1.07m
3:23PM1.57m
3:32AM1.05m
4:30PM1.64m
4:42AM1.08m
Low Tide
4:43PM0.09m
5:10AM0.03m
5:32PM0.13m
5:48AM0.02m
6:27PM0.17m
6:32AM0.02m
7:30PM0.20m
7:23AM0.02m
8:39PM0.21m
8:22AM0.01m
9:51PM0.20m
9:27AM-0.02m
10:59PM0.15m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:22
6:24
6:24
6:24
6:26
6:26
6:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:10
8:10
8:09
8:08
8:07
8:07
8:06
 mm
7
5
19
17
15
13
6
1
3
5
1
3
4
1
4
Temp °C
27
28
27
26
25
26
27
28
26
27
27
28
28
29
28
29
29
28
28
28
27
Feels °C
27
29
26
26
26
28
29
28
27
28
29
31
30
31
31
33
31
31
32
29
29
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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