Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 29 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.3°C
0.4° 

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 30 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period, SE swell with 166 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (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 (Sep 01) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. 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 0.9m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Tue 1st Sep)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Best Surf 8PM (Tue 1st Sep)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep)3ft (0.9m) 11s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for Pelican Watch over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this stretch is a tough one. For the first several days, through the end of August and into the start of September, there’s just nothing doing. We’re talking tiny, weak swell – mostly around 1ft to 2ft from the ESE – and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or just messy. The wave energy is almost non-existent, barely registering. It’s a real flat spell, and you’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board than paddling out. There’s a stretch of about four or five days there where you can write off any real surf.

Now, things start to perk up a little as we head into Wednesday, September 2nd. The morning shows a bump in energy – combined energy hits 151 – with a 3ft SE swell, period around 10 seconds, and clean conditions thanks to a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW. That’s surfable, but it’s still pretty ordinary. The afternoon gets windier, and it drops off again. Thursday and Friday are much the same: small, clean but weak. You’ll get a wave, but you’ll be fighting for it.

The weekend and following week don’t bring much joy either. There’s a brief mention of offshore wind on the morning of Sunday, September 6th, but the swell is a messy 2ft from the SSW with a period of just 5 seconds – that’s windswell, not groundswell. Not worth the effort.

The real standout, if you can call it that, comes on Thursday, September 10th. The afternoon session shows a jump to 6ft from the SSW, with the combined energy hitting 329 – that’s a solid pulse of power. The period is still short at 7 seconds, so it’s a bit lumpy and raw. The wind is cross-offshore from the SW, so it’ll be clean. This one is for the crew that doesn’t mind a bit of punch and can handle a bigger, less organised wave. For beginners, that 6ft is too much; this is expert territory. And we’re talking more than a week out, so keep an eye on it – it’s promising, but not set in stone.

After that, it fades again into the second week. Friday the 11th has a brief glimmer of gentle offshore wind on the afternoon with a 2ft S swell, but the energy is low. The rest of the outlook is flat and forgettable, with weak, short-period waves and cross-shore breezes.

If you’re a kiter, the windier days with that bigger, choppier swell on September 10th might look more interesting than for us paddlers. For the rest of us, this is a lean period. Pelican Watch is a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent spot, but it’s not showing much love here. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there. Keep your eyes on that Thursday the 10th afternoon window – that’s the only real ticket in the next 16 days.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Fri afternoon, min 25°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
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
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
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)
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
7
0.6
ESE
7
0.3
SE
13
0.7
SE
11
0.9
SE
10
0.7
SE
10
0.7
SE
9
0.6
SE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
26
26
28
26
30
37
36
35
27
128
151
100
88
65
53
27
26
17
17
Wind (km/h)
5
SE
5
ESE
15
SE
5
S
5
NNE
10
SSE
10
SSW
5
SSE
15
S
10
SW
10
SSW
20
SSW
15
SW
15
SW
20
SW
20
WSW
15
WSW
25
SW
20
SW
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
9:19PM1.52m
9:40AM1.49m
9:56PM1.46m
10:22AM1.55m
10:36PM1.39m
11:07AM1.58m
11:19PM1.30m
11:57AM1.60m
00:09AM1.21m
12:55PM1.60m
1:06AM1.14m
2:00PM1.60m
2:13AM1.10m
Low Tide
3:23AM0.04m
3:41PM0.05m
3:57AM0.03m
4:27PM0.08m
4:34AM0.03m
5:18PM0.13m
5:16AM0.04m
6:14PM0.18m
6:05AM0.06m
7:17PM0.23m
7:02AM0.09m
8:28PM0.26m
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
rain showers
cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
6:43
6:43
6:45
6:46
6:46
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:40
7:39
7:38
7:37
7:36
7:35
7:32
 mm
4
1
1
1
2
Temp °C
26
27
28
27
27
28
27
28
29
27
29
30
27
29
30
27
29
32
27
Feels °C
29
30
30
30
32
31
30
33
31
29
32
31
30
31
30
29
30
32
28
  • Map Icons:
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  • 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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