Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 9 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 10 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 13 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period, E swell with 215 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period with SSW 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 Friday (Jul 10) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s 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 1.6m 6s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 10th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, we’ve got a long stretch of quiet conditions ahead. The first real sign of life doesn’t show up until the morning of Saturday, 11 July. Up until then, it’s flat and not worth paddling for. That’s about a two-day gap with nothing to recommend.
For the standout session, you’ll want to be at Pelican Watch on the morning of Saturday, 11 July. We’re looking at a 4ft swell from the SSW, with a short period of 6 seconds. The wind is offshore (WSW at 12 mph), which is a major positive – it’ll keep the faces clean. The combined energy is moderate at 222. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, with a fairly consistent break, but it can get crowded, so expect company. The water temp is sitting at 83°, which is about 0.5° above normal for this time of year – perfectly average and warm.
The next morning, Sunday, 12 July, is a bit of a step down. Swell drops to 2ft from the S with a 6-second period, and the wind is a light cross-off from the NNW at 3 mph. It’s surfable, but nothing special.
After that, the rest of the outlook is pretty grim. We get a spike in swell on the morning of Monday, 13 July at 5ft from the E (6-second period), but the wind is cross-shore (NNE at 6 mph) and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. The wave energy is moderate at 227, but the quality is just poor. The same goes for the afternoon – a 4ft swell. The wind turns cross-onshore, making it messy.
From there, it’s a flat and windy slog. Most days after that show small, weak swells with poor conditions, often with fresh cross-offshore winds. The standouts are few and far between. The only other small blip is on Monday, 20 July morning, with a 4ft SSE swell and a 6-second period under a clean 12 mph cross-off wind, but it’s still not worth getting excited about.
To be honest, if you’re not out there on the morning of the 11th, you’re probably better off waiting for the next proper pulse. The rest of the window is mostly blown out or weak.
Stay tuned, forecasts can always change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 34°C on Fri afternoon, min 27°C on Sat morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 53mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 31°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSW 6 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 6 | SE 10 | ENE 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 20 | 19 | 18 | 55 | 22 | 187 | 137 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 23 | 69 | 215 | 126 | 77 | 64 | 111 | 55 | 45 | 28 | 19 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:44PM1.51m | 3:50AM1.06m | 4:45PM1.62m | 4:55AM1.06m | 5:46PM1.73m | 5:58AM1.09m | 6:44PM1.80m | 6:59AM1.15m | 7:40PM1.85m | 7:57AM1.22m | 8:33PM1.85m | 8:52AM1.28m | 9:25PM1.80m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:49AM-0.04m | 10:06PM0.14m | 9:46AM-0.08m | 11:12PM0.09m | 10:47AM-0.13m | 00:14AM0.02m | 11:48AM-0.18m | 1:11AM-0.04m | 12:47PM-0.22m | 2:05AM-0.09m | 1:46PM-0.24m | 2:56AM-0.12m | 2:43PM-0.22m | 3:45AM-0.14m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 10 | — | 1 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 15 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 32 | 33 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 24 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 6 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 |
| kJ | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 101 | 70 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 16 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 20 | 64 | 90 | 55 | 45 | 28 | 17 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 6 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | — | SW 6 | ENE 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | E 8 | — | — | S 3 | SSW 4 |
| kJ | 32 | 78 | 154 | 55 | 122 | 187 | 137 | 75 | 52 | — | 32 | 69 | 215 | 126 | 77 | — | 111 | — | — | 5 | 15 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 54 | 352 | 304 | 54 | 489 | 282 | 0 | 1707 | 54 | 0 | 129 | 0 | 17 | 23 | 30 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 304 | 54 |
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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