Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 23 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
29.2° 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 23 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, SSW swell with 325 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 24 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s 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 Friday (Jul 24) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 2PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Fri 24th Jul)3ft (0.9m) 5s
Best Surf 2AM (Fri 24th Jul)3ft (0.9m) 5s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 29th Jul)6ft (1.8m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s break it down, mate. I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast. To be honest, the next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag with a whole lot of nothing at the start. We’re looking at Pelican Watch, and it’s a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly consistent, but it’s exposed to the swell and can get crowded often.

The water temp is sitting around 85°F right now, which is about 2°F warmer than usual for this time of year – feels like a warm bath, which is nice.

The first few days are a total write-off. From Thursday the 23rd through to Monday the 27th of July, we’ve got tiny 1ft to 2ft swells, mostly from the SE or ESE, with periods around 8 seconds. The wind is a messy cross-off or cross-on, and the combined energy is weak, sitting between 17 and 100. It’s just poor surf conditions, no two ways about it. You’re better off waxing your board at home.

Then on Tuesday the 28th, things get weird. The morning is still tiny at 1ft, but the afternoon throws up a 6ft south-southwest swell with a short 6-second period. The combined energy jumps to 231 (moderate), but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-off. It’s clean, but that short period and size make it a bit of a mess – more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. Still rated as poor surf.

Wednesday the 29th of July is the first glimmer. We get a 4ft south swell in the morning, period 7 seconds, with a light NNW wind – cross-off and clean. The combined energy is 126 (moderate). Afternoon drops to 2ft. It’s surfable, but ordinary. The afternoon is similar.

Then we hit another dry patch. From Thursday the 30th of July through to Sunday the 2nd of August, it’s back to 2ft to 3ft slop, with cross-onshore or cross-shore wind and energy levels below 100. There’s a glassy 2ft morning on Friday the 31st, but it’s tiny.

The real standout, the one worth circling on the calendar, is Sunday the 2nd of August. The morning brings a 4ft SSE swell with an 8-second period, light SSW cross-off wind, and combined energy of 196 (moderate). It’s clean. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 5ft from the south, but the period drops to 7 seconds and the energy hits 250. It’s a bit marginal with the short period, but it’s the best we’ve got. This is for experienced surfers only, as it’s over 5ft.

Monday the 3rd of August morning is still okay with a 4ft swell from SSE, but it’s dropping off. The rest of the week is a slow fade back to 2ft to 3ft slop with poor conditions.

So, the only proper call is Sunday the 2nd of August at Pelican Watch. It’s not going to be a classic, but it’s the cleanest, most energetic swell of the whole run. The rest of the 16 days? Mostly a bust. But as we know, it never stays flat forever.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Fri afternoon, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue afternoon).

Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
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
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.9
S
5
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
7
0.5
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.7
E
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.5
E
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
1.7
SSW
6
1.5
SSW
7
1.1
S
7
0.7
SE
7
0.7
SE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
17
23
38
44
50
46
37
37
34
41
58
45
29
22
11
16
213
222
126
56
59
Wind (km/h)
25
SW
10
SSW
15
SSW
15
SW
15
SSW
10
W
15
WNW
10
W
5
N
5
NE
15
SSE
10
WSW
5
NW
5
E
20
SW
25
SSW
30
SW
25
SW
10
NNW
10
SW
10
SSE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
glassy
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
High Tide
4:16PM1.35m
4:22AM0.91m
5:09PM1.37m
5:17AM0.91m
5:58PM1.41m
6:07AM0.93m
6:43PM1.45m
6:52AM0.98m
7:24PM1.49m
7:34AM1.02m
8:03PM1.52m
8:14AM1.08m
8:39PM1.53m
Low Tide
9:15AM0.14m
10:45PM0.28m
10:07AM0.16m
11:40PM0.26m
10:58AM0.15m
00:28AM0.23m
11:47AM0.12m
1:11AM0.20m
12:33PM0.09m
1:49AM0.16m
1:16PM0.06m
2:25AM0.12m
1:57PM0.05m
2:59AM0.09m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
rain showers
cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:16
6:16
6:16
6:18
6:18
6:18
6:20
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:19
8:17
8:17
8:16
8:15
8:15
8:15
 mm
2
2
6
4
5
6
10
5
6
2
2
Temp °C
29
29
28
28
30
26
26
25
25
24
27
27
29
32
30
31
32
30
29
32
30
Feels °C
29
30
31
31
32
30
29
28
29
27
29
29
33
34
32
31
32
33
30
35
33
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • 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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