Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 21 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.8° C
0.6° 

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 21 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, SSW swell with 268 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with ESE 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. 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 1.7m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5AM. 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Sat 25th Jul)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Best Surf 5AM (Sat 25th Jul)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Most Powerful 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing special coming up, so patience is going to be key. The first bit of surf worth talking about doesn’t show up until late in the second week.

The opening week is a write-off. From Tuesday, July 21st, right through to the end of July, we’re looking at a real flat spell. The swell energy is tiny, mostly under 50 (0-51), and the wind is cross-off or cross at best, but the waves are just too small to bother with. The water is sitting at 84°F, which is about 1.0°F above normal, so not a big deal for the time of year.

The only real standout window comes on Wednesday, July 29th, and it’s a bit of a one-hit wonder. Pelican Watch is the only game in town. The swell jumps up to 7ft from the S with a short period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits 763 – that’s a solid push of energy. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the NE in the morning, so it’s a bit choppy and not ideal. This is a beach break, so with that much swell and a short period, it’s not going to be a classic. It’s actually more interesting for the kite surfers than for paddle surfing on the Wednesday morning. The afternoon sees the wind swing onshore from the E, making it worse. Still, if you’re an expert looking for some power, this is the only day with any real grunt in the whole 16-day window.

After that, it drops back to nothing. Thursday, July 30th, has a bit of waist-high swell from the S (4-5ft) but the wind is onshore or cross, and the quality is poor. By Friday, July 31st, we’re back to small, clean but tiny waves. The first week of August is more of the same – flat, clean, but utterly surfable? Barely. There’s a glimmer on Tuesday, August 4th, with glassy conditions and 3ft from the ESE, but the energy is only 69, so it’s barely a ripple.

To be honest, if you’re not a kiter, put the board away for the next two weeks. The whole forecast is a bust for paddle surfing. The models could change, but as it stands, it’s one of those blank runs that’s more normal for the area.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 41mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Tue
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
Friday
24
Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
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
0
0
0
0
0
0
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)
1.3
S
5
1.8
S
6
1.3
SSW
6
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
SSW
5
0.4
ESE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.5
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
0
267
147
24
24
16
16
16
45
51
39
37
21
23
30
35
23
28
23
15
Wind (km/h)
35
SSW
35
SSW
30
SW
30
SSW
30
SSW
20
SW
5
SSW
10
SSW
15
SW
15
S
20
SSW
15
NW
5
NW
10
NNW
10
NNE
10
S
10
SSW
15
SSW
25
SSW
25
SSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
2:23PM1.34m
2:26AM1.03m
3:20PM1.34m
3:23AM0.94m
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
Low Tide
8:36PM0.25m
8:25AM0.11m
9:42PM0.28m
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
clear
rain showers
part cloud
clear
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
mod rain
thunderstorm
mod rain
rain showers
thunderstorm
mod rain
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:15
6:16
6:16
6:16
6:18
6:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:20
8:20
8:19
8:17
8:17
8:16
8:15
 mm
1
1
2
4
8
5
6
4
2
9
20
1
Temp °C
30
28
30
30
28
30
30
27
26
24
26
26
28
25
25
27
26
30
31
29
Feels °C
30
29
29
29
29
31
32
31
28
26
28
29
31
30
27
29
28
32
32
30
  • 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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