Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 17 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.0° C
0.1° 

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 17 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, S swell with 83 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 9s 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 (Aug 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s. 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 1.1m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) 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 1.4m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Tue 18th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 9s
Best Surf 8AM (Tue 18th Aug)1.5ft (0.4m) 9s
Most Powerful 5AM (Sun 23rd Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 6s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks. I’m going to be straight with you – this is a lean spell. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf and tricky winds to get through before anything with a bit of punch shows up.

The whole outlook is focused on one spot: Pelican Watch. The water temp here is sitting at 82°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

For the first week and a half, from Monday the 17th of August right through to about Saturday the 29th of August, it’s a real struggle. Most days are serving up tiny 0.7 ft to 2 ft swells with weak energy (values mostly between 18 and 92). The winds are mostly cross-off or cross, which keeps the surface clean, but there’s just no power. Even the odd 3 ft bump on Sunday the 23rd is a short-period windswell (6 seconds) that won’t offer any real shape. Honestly, this stretch is more about a paddle and a tan than a proper surf.

Things start to change around the tail end of the month. Thursday the 27th of August morning sees the swell finally push up to 3 ft from the SE, with a period of 12 seconds. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 264 – finally some proper juice. Winds are clean, cross-off from the SW at 15 mph. It’s still a bit raw, and the guidance flags it as marginal, but it’s the first real sign of life. The afternoon holds similar energy (202), with the swell easing slightly to 3 ft.

Now, if you’re an experienced surfer, the standout window here is Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September. The swell size kicks up to 5 ft from the E/ENE, with moderate wave energy in the 127-167 range. However, this is where I have to wave a red flag. That 5 ft is pushing the limit for beginners, and the period is a short, choppy 6 seconds. On top of that, the wind is a messy cross-onshore flow from the NNE and NE at 12-15 mph, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. For a beach setup like Pelican Watch, this is looking more like a kite-surfing session than a clean paddle-surfing one. The crowds are likely to be there, but the quality is a real question mark.

So, to sum it up: there’s nothing worth paddling out for until the last few days of the month. Thursday the 27th offers the cleanest, most promising swell of the lot for a proper surf. The bigger, messier stuff at the very end is one for the experts or the kite crew only.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the horizon.
Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 34°C on Mon afternoon, min 27°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sat morning. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Mon
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
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
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)
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
12
0.6
SE
11
0.5
SE
10
0.5
SE
9
0.5
SE
9
0.4
ESE
9
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.5
S
5
0.3
ESE
8
0.3
ESE
9
0.7
S
5
0.3
ESE
9
0.2
ESE
13
1
S
6
0.2
ESE
12
0.2
ESE
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
21
21
35
75
48
42
40
30
18
17
17
13
13
15
27
17
17
69
15
14
Wind (km/h)
20
SSW
5
SW
10
SW
20
SSW
5
NW
10
ESE
15
S
10
SSW
15
SSW
20
S
20
SSW
25
SW
25
SSW
10
WNW
5
N
10
S
20
SSW
20
SW
25
SW
10
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
00:04AM1.23m
12:43PM1.42m
00:51AM1.11m
1:37PM1.38m
1:43AM1.01m
2:35PM1.35m
2:42AM0.95m
3:36PM1.34m
3:45AM0.93m
4:35PM1.36m
4:45AM0.96m
5:28PM1.40m
Low Tide
6:00PM0.15m
6:03AM0.09m
6:57PM0.24m
6:47AM0.16m
7:58PM0.31m
7:36AM0.22m
9:04PM0.36m
8:31AM0.25m
10:09PM0.37m
9:31AM0.26m
11:06PM0.34m
10:29AM0.23m
11:54PM0.30m
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
cloud
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:35
6:35
6:37
6:37
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:55
7:54
7:53
7:52
7:52
7:50
7:49
 mm
4
9
4
3
3
1
Temp °C
34
30
32
34
31
30
31
29
31
32
29
30
30
28
26
29
27
27
28
26
Feels °C
36
32
35
35
34
33
34
33
35
34
33
31
31
30
30
32
30
28
28
27
  • 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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