Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 7s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, SSW swell with 268 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 7s period with S 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 (Jul 09) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 11) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s just get this out of the way – this forecast is a tough one for Pelican Watch. We’re looking at a solid two weeks where the surf just won’t show up in any decent way. There’s a real dry spell kicking off the run. The first few days (Saturday July 4th right through to Monday July 13th) are almost all labelled “poor surf conditions.” The swell is tiny – often around 1ft to 3ft – and the wind is mostly cross or cross-off, which never cleans things up properly for a wave that small. The water temperature is sitting at 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while staring at it.
There’s a glimmer – and I mean a glimmer – on Tuesday morning July 14th. That’s the only stand-out window we get. The swell picks up to 5ft from the east (E) with a short period of 6 seconds, but the wave energy is moderate at that point, reading 205. The wind is light from the southwest, so it’s clean. The report actually says “expect good surf conditions.” That is the one and only call of the entire outlook that sounds positive. Because it’s exposed and the swell direction (E) is a mismatch for the optimum SE, the waves might be a bit jumbly, but for a beginner–friendly spot that’s fairly consistent, this is your best shot across the whole 16 days. This swell is not too big – 5ft – so it’s right on the edge of being okay for less experienced surfers, but still manageable. The short period means it won’t have much push.
After that, we’re back to tiny dribble and poor conditions right through to July 19th. On Saturday July 18th morning the swell jumps to 5ft from the SW, with moderate energy (253), but the file only calls it “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” So even then, don’t get too excited.
Honestly, this whole run is a bust for paddle surfing. With the combination of small swell, cross-chop, and no real clean windows outside that Tuesday morning, this setup might honestly look better for kite surfing on some of those breezy afternoons. It’s a long, blank spell after the 14th – nearly a week of nothing worth paddling out for.
If you get a chance, pencil in Tuesday July 14th morning at Pelican Watch and cross your fingers. That’s the one.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Wed afternoon, min 27°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | S 6 | SE 10 | S 6 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | S 7 | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 7 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 30 | 28 | 26 | 17 | 17 | 57 | 77 | 23 | 81 | 22 | 117 | 69 | 66 | 107 | 72 | 20 | 195 | 161 | 182 | 261 | 181 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:30PM1.37m | 12:03PM1.14m | 00:11AM1.30m | 12:52PM1.21m | 00:57AM1.22m | 1:45PM1.30m | 1:49AM1.15m | 2:43PM1.41m | 2:48AM1.09m | 3:44PM1.51m | 3:50AM1.06m | 4:45PM1.62m | 4:55AM1.06m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:01PM0.13m | 5:50AM0.06m | 5:50PM0.16m | 6:28AM0.05m | 6:46PM0.18m | 7:09AM0.02m | 7:48PM0.19m | 7:56AM-0.00m | 8:56PM0.18m | 8:49AM-0.04m | 10:06PM0.14m | 9:46AM-0.08m | 11:12PM0.09m | 10:47AM-0.13m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 |
 | 8:25 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | 8:24 |
mm | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 32 |
Feels °C | 32 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 32 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 7 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 7 |
| kJ | 30 | 28 | 26 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 69 | 40 | 32 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 104 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | SE 9 | SE 6 | — | — | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | — | — | ESE 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 27 | 10 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | SSW 3 | S 4 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | — | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 |
| kJ | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 57 | 77 | 77 | 81 | 102 | 117 | — | 66 | 107 | 72 | 135 | 195 | 161 | 182 | 261 | 181 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2540 | 527 | 1709 | 2540 | 456 | 1763 | 2144 | 298 | 304 | 489 | 22 | 54 | 294 | 119 | 19 | 767 | 355 | 304 | 567 | 352 | 294 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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