Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 24 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
29.1°C
1.0° 

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 25 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 8s period, SE swell with 35 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Pelican Watch this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 0.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful11AM (Sun 30th Aug)1.5ft (0.5m) 8s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me give you the word on what’s happening at Pelican Watch for the next couple of weeks. It’s a pretty quiet stretch, so don’t get your hopes up for anything epic.

Right off the bat, we’ve got nothing. The first several days are a write-off. From Tuesday morning the 25th right through to the end of August, the waves are just too small and messy to bother with. We’re looking at tiny 1ft to 2ft swells from the southeast, with mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds ruining any chance of a wave. The energy is weak, hovering around 25 to 47 on the energy scale. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

It’s not until Tuesday morning the 1st of September that things even become *surfable*, but it’s still very ordinary. The swell picks up a touch to 1ft from the southeast, but the period stretches out to 16 seconds, which gives it a bit more push. The wind goes offshore from the west (light breeze), so those clean conditions will make the most of what little is there. The energy jumps to 87 (weak), but it’s a long-period groundswell, so it’ll be better-shaped. This is really just a session to get wet.

Wednesday morning the 2nd is similar: 1ft from the east-southeast, with a 13-second period and clean, light offshore winds. Energy climbs a bit to 102 (moderate). Still tiny, but it’s the best we’ve seen.

Then, on Saturday the 5th of September, things start to get interesting, but we’re still talking about small surf. The Saturday afternoon session sees the swell bump up to 3ft from the east with a 12-second period, and energy jumps to 263 (moderate). The wind swings light from the southwest, making for clean conditions. This is the standout of the entire forecast. The swell direction (E) is a good match for the optimum (SE). It’s still small, but for this stretch, it’s the best on offer for a clean longboard or a fun little shortboard session if you're patient.

Sunday morning the 6th of September is also notable: 2ft from the east, 12-second period, with glassy conditions thanks to a light westerly wind. The energy is 153 (moderate). Clean and small again.

After that, from Monday the 7th onward, we’re back to poor conditions with stronger cross-onshore winds and even smaller, weaker swell.

So there you have it. It’s a lean couple of weeks. The best bet is to pencil in Saturday the 5th of September afternoon, or Sunday morning the 6th, for a clean, small-wave session at Pelican Watch. Everything else is a waste of petrol.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Wed night. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 30°C on Fri afternoon, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
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
0
0
0
0
0
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)
0.6
S
5
0.4
SE
11
0.4
SE
10
0.4
SE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.6
S
5
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
17
29
28
23
22
21
22
17
30
32
29
28
27
26
26
26
35
26
23
Wind (km/h)
10
WSW
10
NE
10
ESE
5
ESE
10
ESE
15
SSE
15
SSW
15
SW
20
SSW
15
SSW
20
SW
15
SW
0
NE
5
N
10
ENE
10
SSE
10
ENE
10
SE
5
S
Wind State
off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
glassy
High Tide
6:24AM1.09m
6:55PM1.50m
7:06AM1.17m
7:32PM1.54m
7:45AM1.26m
8:08PM1.56m
8:23AM1.34m
8:43PM1.55m
9:01AM1.42m
9:19PM1.52m
9:40AM1.49m
9:56PM1.46m
Low Tide
00:36AM0.26m
12:10PM0.15m
1:12AM0.20m
12:54PM0.10m
1:46AM0.15m
1:36PM0.07m
2:18AM0.10m
2:16PM0.05m
2:50AM0.06m
2:58PM0.04m
3:23AM0.04m
3:41PM0.05m
3:57AM0.03m
thunderstorm
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:39
6:39
6:41
6:41
6:41
6:43
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:47
7:46
7:45
7:44
7:43
7:40
7:39
 mm
2
1
3
1
9
2
6
1
2
3
2
1
1
4
Temp °C
28
26
28
27
28
29
28
28
29
28
29
30
28
26
27
27
28
28
27
Feels °C
31
27
30
30
29
30
30
29
29
29
30
31
30
30
31
31
32
31
31
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Pelican Watch:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest