Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 30 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.0°C
0.2° 

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 31 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period, SE swell with 166 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. 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 0.9m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Tue 1st Sep)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Best Surf 8PM (Tue 1st Sep)1.5ft (0.4m) 12s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep)3ft (0.9m) 11s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s see what’s shaking. This is a real slow start, and the whole 16 days is pretty quiet. The first few days are a total dud – tiny, weak, and messy. There’s a tiny window mid-week where the energy picks up a little, but it’s still nothing to write home about. The best bet, if you can call it that, is the morning of the 10th of September, when we finally get a clean offshore wind. But the swell is still tiny. Let’s break it down.

Right now, on Monday the 31st of August, we’ve got a weak 1ft to 2ft ESE swell with a short 8 second period and a combined energy of just 25. Conditions are poor – cross-onshore wind and a risk of thunderstorms. Forget it. Tuesday morning the 1st of September turns glassy with a 2ft swell, but it’s still messy and weak. The ocean is basically asleep.

Wednesday the 2nd of September morning sees a slight bump – the swell pushes to 3ft from the SE, with a 10 second period and a combined energy of 154. That’s the strongest energy we’ll see for a while, but it’s still only 3ft, and the wind is cross-shore. The afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops back to 2ft. It’s surfable, but just barely.

Thursday the 3rd of September morning is the first time we get a “surfable” rating – a 1 out of 10. The swell is 2ft from the SE, 9 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore breeze. Combined energy is 65. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but honestly, it’s tiny. The afternoon goes back to poor.

From Friday the 4th right through to the end of the second week, we’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak surf. The swell rarely gets above 2ft, and the combined energy mostly sits in the teens to low 40s. There are a few glassy mornings – like on the 13th of September – but the swell is just too small to do anything with. The one bright spot is the morning of Thursday the 10th of September. We get a 2ft ESE swell, 9 second period, with a clean offshore wind from the west. Combined energy is 61. It’s the only time in the entire forecast that we get a proper offshore breeze and a surfable wave. It’s tiny, but it’ll be clean and workable on a longboard or a funboard.

The rest of the time, it’s either too small, too onshore, or both. From the 5th of September to the 15th of September, there’s a solid 10-day stretch of nothing worth paddling out for. A few clean mornings, but the swell just isn’t there.

So, to sum it up: Pelican Watch is not delivering much this period. The only real standout is the morning of Thursday the 10th of September – a 2ft ESE swell, clean offshore wind, and the best chance of a few rideable waves. If you’re desperate, that’s your window. Otherwise, it’s a long wait for better days.

- Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 25°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 32°C on Fri afternoon, min 25°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
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
1
0
0
0
1
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)
0.5
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
7
0.6
ESE
7
0.6
ESE
7
0.8
SE
11
0.9
SE
10
0.7
SE
10
0.7
SE
9
0.6
SE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.5
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.9
E
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
33
23
37
36
35
35
150
154
100
88
65
53
34
33
17
17
16
12
35
Wind (km/h)
5
NNE
10
NE
15
SE
5
WSW
5
ENE
15
SSE
10
SW
10
S
20
SSW
15
SW
15
SW
20
SW
20
WSW
15
WSW
25
SW
5
W
10
NNW
15
SSE
20
E
Wind State
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross
on
High Tide
9:56PM1.46m
10:22AM1.55m
10:36PM1.39m
11:07AM1.58m
11:19PM1.30m
11:57AM1.60m
00:09AM1.21m
12:55PM1.60m
1:06AM1.14m
2:00PM1.60m
2:13AM1.10m
3:10PM1.61m
3:27AM1.12m
Low Tide
3:57AM0.03m
4:27PM0.08m
4:34AM0.03m
5:18PM0.13m
5:16AM0.04m
6:14PM0.18m
6:05AM0.06m
7:17PM0.23m
7:02AM0.09m
8:28PM0.26m
8:08AM0.10m
9:41PM0.25m
part cloud
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
6:43
6:45
6:46
6:46
6:47
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:39
7:38
7:37
7:36
7:35
7:32
7:31
 mm
1
1
1
1
14
Temp °C
27
27
28
27
27
29
27
28
30
27
28
30
27
30
32
28
28
30
28
Feels °C
31
30
30
30
30
31
29
31
31
29
30
30
29
32
33
29
31
33
31
  • Map Icons:
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  • 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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