
Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 7s period, E swell with 107 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 20 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Sunday (Sep 20) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 1.0m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) 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 0.2m 2s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 7s |
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 cookin’ at Pelican Watch.
Honestly, mate, it’s a pretty flat and ugly run ahead. There’s a big ol’ gap of almost nothing before we even see something that could be called a wave. The first real chance of anything worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 23rd of September, and even then, it’s a long way from pumping.
The first week is a write-off. From Tuesday the 15th through to Tuesday the 22nd, it’s all poor surf conditions. Wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, and the swell is small, weak, and short-period. The energy readings are in the weak doldrums, often sitting between 20 and 100 – just no grunt. There’s a glassy moment on Friday morning the 18th, but with a tiny 1ft swell, you’d be bobbing around on a lake. That first week and a bit is a real drought.
Then we finally get a pulse. Wednesday morning the 23rd sees a little lift. We get a 3ft swell from the SSE with some clean conditions thanks to a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNW. It’s only described as “surfable but very ordinary,” and the energy is still weak at 52. It’s not a standout, just the first sign of life. Wednesday afternoon gets a bit cleaner with a 3ft SE swell and a glassy 5 km/h offshore from the WSW. Energy creeps up to 84. Still small, but it’s the best of a bad bunch early on.
Thursday the 24th morning gives us the biggest swell of the whole stretch so far: 4ft from the SSE. The wind is a cross-offshore from the SW at 15 km/h, so the waves should be clean. The combined energy is 115, so it’s starting to feel like a proper surf. That said, 4ft is still on the small side for a bit of grunt, and the period is only 6 seconds – short-period wind swell. It’s ordinary, but if you’re desperate, this is the window.
Then it all falls apart again. From Thursday afternoon right through to the end of the forecast on the 30th, we’re back to poor conditions. There is a weird spike on Wednesday the 30th with a 5ft ENE swell and a period of 8 seconds, and the energy jumps to 335 – that’s moderate energy! But the wind is a nasty cross-shore from the north at 25 km/h, creating a cross-chop. That’s messy and lumpy. It’s too big for beginners, but for experienced surfers, it’s just junk. The direction is ENE, which is onshore for this SE-facing break, so it’ll be a washout. That afternoon stays onshore with 5ft and 302 energy, but it’s cross-on and choppy again. No good.
So what’s the call? The only real window to get wet is around the 23rd and 24th of September. Even then, it’s small and ordinary. The water temperature is a warm 82°F with an anomaly of 1°F, so it’s pretty average for this time of year – nothing weird there. The water is warm, but the waves are not.
If you’re a kite surfer, those afternoons with solid onshore wind and a bit of chop might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a long wait for very little pay-off. Keep your eye on the next forecast, because this one is a bust.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 12 | E 7 | ESE 12 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
145 | 103 | 85 | 56 | 107 | 58 | 66 | 35 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 34 | 41 | 38 | 25 | 24 | 16 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:13AM1.56m | 11:27PM1.20m | 11:59AM1.50m | 00:12AM1.10m | 12:50PM1.43m | 1:03AM1.03m | 1:48PM1.37m | 2:03AM0.99m | 2:51PM1.35m | 3:09AM0.99m | 3:54PM1.36m | 4:11AM1.04m | 4:48PM1.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:30PM0.22m | 5:16AM0.20m | 6:21PM0.30m | 5:59AM0.26m | 7:18PM0.37m | 6:49AM0.32m | 8:21PM0.42m | 7:48AM0.35m | 9:26PM0.43m | 8:54AM0.35m | 10:24PM0.40m | 9:57AM0.32m | 11:11PM0.35m | ||||||||
6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | |
— | 7:17 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:14 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:10 | — | — | 7:09 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 23 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | ESE 8 | SE 14 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 6 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
4 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 7 | 58 | 47 | 35 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 34 | 41 | 38 | 25 | 24 | 16 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SE 14 | — | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 13 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 5 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 |
— | — | — | 7 | — | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 12 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 5 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | E 7 | E 4 | — | E 11 | E 8 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | — | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
145 | 103 | 85 | 56 | 107 | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1714 | 1232 | 30 | 110 | 1230 | 23 | 22 | 1230 | 282 | 253 | 253 | 243 | 1232 | 1233 | 258 | 253 | 253 | 304 | 253 | 1096 | 321 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










