Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, S swell with 76 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s 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 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 5s. 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 1.0m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for this stretch. Honestly, it’s a tough run. We’re looking at a long, dry spell before anything even starts to look half decent.
For the first week and a half, from Tuesday the 18th right through to about Sunday the 30th, it’s a flat, frustrating grind. We’re talking tiny, weak energy – the combined swell energy is barely registering, with values in the teens and twenties most days. The swell height is sitting at 1 ft to 3 ft, and the winds are either onshore, cross-off, or just messy. It’s not going to be worth paddling out. There’s a sea breeze filling in hard in the afternoons, which is just kicking up chop. This is a period where you’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board or taking a walk.
Then, after a quiet Monday the 24th, there’s a little flicker of life towards the very end of the month. On Thursday the 27th, the combined energy topples over into 104 and then 241 in the afternoon, but it’s tied to a messy risk of thunderstorms and moderate breeze. It’s a “no” from me.
Now, if we fast forward to the first week of September, there’s a single flicker of something bigger. On Wednesday the 2nd of September, we get a pulse of swell. The height jumps to 6 ft from the ENE, but here’s the catch: it’s short period, around 7 seconds, and the wind is howling cross-shore at 16-19 mph. The combined swell energy gets up to 371. That’s a lot of power, but it’s going to be a blustery, lumpy mess. This isn’t a surfer’s wave; with that cross-shore wind and short period, the setup at Pelican Watch looks far more interesting for a kite surfer than for a paddle surfer. Keep the kite gear handy.
Pelican Watch itself is a beginner-friendly spot, exposed to the swell. But for this entire 16-day window, the stars just don’t align. The water temperature is sitting at a muggy 82°, which is totally normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you wait.
Look, it’s a blank run for the most part. A long, slow one. The forecasts can always shift, but right now, there’s nothing to get excited about.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 33°C on Tue afternoon, min 27°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 29mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Fri morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | ESE 12 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 35 | 75 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 74 | 46 | 76 | 14 | 39 | 29 | 12 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | glassy | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 5:38AM1.01m | 6:14PM1.45m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 11:22AM0.19m | 00:36AM0.26m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | 4 | 3 | — | 17 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 32 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 |
Feels °C | 35 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | S 6 | ESE 11 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 27 | 75 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 74 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 39 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | E 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | E 6 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 12 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 35 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 35 | 8 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | E 5 | — | — | — | — | E 7 | — | — | E 15 | E 6 | SE 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 3 | SW 4 | — | — | S 3 | S 4 | S 3 | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 5 |
| kJ | — | 5 | 9 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 28 | 29 | 33 | 119 | 46 | 76 | 82 | 71 | 29 | 32 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 465 | 0 | 129 | 837 | 769 | 812 | 456 | 1117 | 1573 | 892 | 22 | 298 | 298 | 575 | 727 | 1103 | 465 | 0 | 561 | 282 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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