Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 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 30 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 169 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 offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 8PM.

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

G'day, it's Rusty here.

Look, I'm gonna be straight with you – this stretch is a tough one. For the next 16 days, Pelican Watch is my only real option, and it's not exactly pumping. The water's sitting at a warm 82°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The problem is the swell. It's tiny, weak, and coming from the southeast, which is okay for this spot, but the energy is just pathetic. For most of the run, we're looking at wave heights of 1.0ft to 2ft, with combined energy bouncing around between 27 and 64 (weak energy). That's not enough to get excited about, even for a beginner-friendly spot like this.

The wind does offer some hope though. We get a few windows of glassy or clean conditions, particularly on the mornings. Tuesday the 1st of September, Thursday the 3rd, and Friday the 4th all have clean, glassy starts. But the swell is just too small to do much with it. The best chance all week is probably Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September. The swell bumps up to 3ft from the southeast, with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy hits 157 (moderate wave energy). The wind is calm, so it'll be glassy. That's your best shot, but even then, the wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It's a real grind.

There's a big gap from the 2nd of September right through to the 14th of September with basically nothing. The swell stays tiny, and the wind, while often clean, just can't make up for the lack of push. The period is short, mostly 8 or 9 seconds, so it's weak, short-period windswell. On the 14th, we get glassy conditions again, but the swell is down to 1ft – it's a total flat spell.

If you're a beginner and just want to get wet, Wednesday morning the 2nd is your window. For anyone else, it's a waiting game. The setup is so marginal that it'd be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most days.

Stay patient, check back later.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 25°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
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
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
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
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
7
0.6
ESE
7
0.3
SE
13
0.8
SE
11
0.9
SE
10
0.8
SE
10
0.7
SE
9
0.6
SE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.5
SE
8
0.6
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.5
S
5
0.3
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
26
28
33
40
37
36
35
27
153
157
117
86
64
52
33
54
26
18
12
11
6
Wind (km/h)
10
ENE
10
SSE
0
SE
10
NE
15
SE
5
WSW
5
SE
15
S
10
SW
0
SW
15
SSW
15
SW
10
SSW
20
SSW
15
SSW
15
SW
25
SSW
15
SW
15
WSW
25
SSW
25
SW
Wind State
on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
9:40AM1.49m
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
3:41PM0.05m
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
thunderstorm
cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
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
2
1
6
Temp °C
27
27
27
27
28
27
28
29
27
29
30
27
29
30
27
29
30
27
29
31
27
Feels °C
30
30
31
30
30
30
32
30
29
33
31
29
32
31
29
31
31
29
30
32
28
  • 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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