Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s the outlook for Pelican Watch.

Right off the bat, I’ve got to be straight with you—this stretch is looking pretty ordinary. The swell energy is weak, mostly under 100 (45) on Wednesday morning, and it stays that way for days. The water’s sitting at 83°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The whole 16-day window is a tough one. There’s really no decent surf on offer until Sunday, August 23, and even then it’s just a glimmer. From Wednesday, August 19, right through to Saturday, August 22, we’ve got nothing but small, messy waves—1ft to 2ft from the SE or S, with periods as short as 5 seconds, and cross-shore or onshore winds making a mess of things. Saturday morning, August 22, sees a brief moment of glassy conditions with light winds, but the swell is tiny and weak (40), so it’s not worth paddling out.

Sunday, August 23, morning is the first real chance. We’ve got a 2ft S swell at 6 seconds, light WSW offshore winds, and the energy is just 56. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Honestly, it’s the best of a bad bunch, but that’s not saying much.

There’s a big gap after that with no real standouts. Monday, August 24, through Saturday, August 29, stays small and weak, with poor conditions and cross-onshore winds ruining any chance of clean waves. The swell energy stays low, mostly under 100.

Then, on Friday, August 28, we see a slight uptick—morning has a 2ft SE swell with a 9-second period, light WNW winds, and the energy hits 108. It’s still small, but the conditions are clean. The afternoon is similar with a WSW offshore wind. It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about.

The real highlight, if you can call it that, comes on Sunday, August 30, morning. We’ve got a 3ft ESE swell with a 9-second period, ENE onshore winds, and the energy is 106. It’s not clean, but it’s the biggest swell we’ve seen all week. The afternoon holds similar size but with cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions.

Looking further out, the first week of September offers a faint glimmer. On Tuesday, September 1, morning we have a 1ft SE swell with a 13-second period—that’s a longer period, which suggests better shape but also longer waits between sets. Light SSW winds keep it clean, and the energy is 83. It’s surfable but very ordinary.

Wednesday, September 2, morning is the best of the long-range, with a 2ft ESE swell at 11 seconds, light SSW winds, and energy of 106. Clean conditions make it surfable, but it’s still small. The afternoon has more energy (112) but moderate winds.

Overall, there’s no true standout here. The surf stays small, weak, and mostly messy for the entire 16 days. If you’re desperate, Sunday, August 23, morning or Friday, August 28, morning offer the cleanest conditions, but you’ll be on a shortboard in knee-high slop. With such poor energy and short periods, this setup honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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