Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, S swell with 198 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 8PM (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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. 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 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let’s be blunt – the next couple weeks at Pelican Watch are a total washout. There just isn’t any surf worth chasing. The whole 16-day window is mostly flat, weak, and messy. If you’re hanging on for a pulse, you’ll be waiting a long time.
Starting Sunday July 26th through Tuesday July 29th, the swell is tiny – 0.5 ft to 2 ft – and the winds are cross-shore or onshore, making for poor conditions. Water temp is a warm 83°F, about average for this time of year, but that’s the only highlight. Combined wave energy is barely a whisper (50 down to 27) with a short, weak period of 8 seconds.
Wednesday July 29th morning bumps up to 3 ft from the south with a light offshore northwesterly breeze, so it cleans up. But the period is still short at 6 seconds, so it’s weak and lumpy. That afternoon tries to push to 4 ft from the south-southwest, but the wind picks up and ruins it.
Thursday July 30th afternoon is your best shot – glassy offshore wind from the west-southwest at just 3 mph, and a clean 2 ft south swell. The combined energy is only 63, but with the wind that light and offshore, you might find a few fun little waves. Nothing to write home about, but at least it’s not blown out.
From there, the swell drops off severely. By the first week of August, we’re seeing 0.7 ft to 1 ft waves with periods stretching to 9 or 10 seconds, but no size to back it up. Energy numbers drop to single digits and low teens. It’s flat, plain and simple.
If you absolutely need to get wet, Thursday afternoon July 30th is the only real chance for a few clean but tiny waves. Otherwise, this is a classic dry spell for Pelican Watch – best to wait for the next system to bring some life back.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 26°C on Sun afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the SW by Tue night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat morning. Warm (max 34°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 9 | S 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 49 | 34 | 29 | 19 | 23 | 40 | 26 | 2 | 64 | 121 | 75 | 39 | 53 | 40 | 29 | 43 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 23 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:43PM1.45m | 6:52AM0.98m | 7:24PM1.49m | 7:34AM1.02m | 8:03PM1.52m | 8:14AM1.08m | 8:39PM1.53m | 8:53AM1.12m | 9:14PM1.52m | 9:31AM1.18m | 9:49PM1.50m | 10:10AM1.23m | 10:24PM1.45m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:11AM0.20m | 12:33PM0.09m | 1:49AM0.16m | 1:16PM0.06m | 2:25AM0.12m | 1:57PM0.05m | 2:59AM0.09m | 2:37PM0.04m | 3:32AM0.06m | 3:17PM0.05m | 4:03AM0.05m | 3:58PM0.07m | 4:36AM0.03m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 10 |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 34 | 32 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 27 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 9 | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 |
| kJ | 49 | 34 | 29 | 19 | 23 | 40 | 26 | 2 | 64 | 53 | 44 | 39 | 53 | 40 | 29 | 43 | 11 | 33 | 50 | 18 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 4 | SSE 5 | ENE 6 | SSE 5 | SSW 5 | SE 6 | — | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | SW 5 | SSW 6 | — | SE 7 | SSW 5 | ESE 9 | E 7 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 13 | — | 17 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SSE 5 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | ESE 8 | — | — | E 7 | — | SSW 7 | E 6 | E 8 | SE 9 | E 7 | E 7 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 6 | — | — | 1 | — | 15 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 4 | S 2 | SSW 3 | — | SSW 4 | S 6 | WNW 3 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | — | — | SW 5 | — | — | — | ESE 2 | — | S 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 10 | 149 | 1 | 121 | 75 | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 23 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 243 | 253 | 304 | 837 | 946 | 856 | 960 | 538 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 22 | 110 | 382 | 304 | 363 | 821 | 856 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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