Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 12 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
28.7° C
0.7° 

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 12 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period, E swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period, ENE swell with 60 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period with E 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 Wednesday (Jul 15) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 0.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Wed 15th Jul)2ft (0.6m) 7s
Best Surf 2AM (Wed 15th Jul)2ft (0.6m) 7s
Most Powerful 8AM (Tue 14th Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 7s

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


G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—this stretch is a tough one. We’ve got a long, quiet run ahead with only a few flickers of hope, mainly around the third week. The water’s sitting at a warm 84°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothin’ wild on that front.

Right off the bat, we’re lookin’ at a big gap. From Sunday the 12th of July right through to Saturday the 18th, it’s pretty much flat or junk. Tiny swell, messy winds, and scores are zero—hardly worth paddlin’ out. The combined energy is weak, barely crackin’ 40 to 50 on the best days in that first week. There’s a brief moment Sunday morning the 12th with a light offshore, but the swell is only 1ft from the SE with a short period of 9 seconds—so just tiny, weak lines. Not worth wettin’ a suit.

We finally see a pulse of life on Sunday the 19th of July. The morning at Pelican Watch shows a clean 3ft SE swell with a moderate offshore wind from the WSW at 16 mph. The combined energy jumps to 58—still weak, but it’s nothin’ like the dead zone before. This is surfable, but it’s very ordinary. The afternoon gets bigger, 4ft from the S, but the wind is stronger and more side-off, so it’ll be lumpy. Not a standout.

Then Monday the 20th of July morning offers the best chance we’ve got in the whole outlook. The swell hits 5ft from the SSW, period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy is 235—moderate. Wind is just a light northerly, so light cross-shore, it’ll be a bit crinkled but rideable. This is the one to circle if you’re keen. Still, it’s early days, and the forecast confidence is lower out here. For experts, it’s manageable; beginners might find it a bit lumpy at that size. Crowds at Pelican Watch can be often, so expect some company on that Monday morning.

After that, it fades again. Tuesday the 21st through Saturday the 25th sees small, weak swell and mostly onshore winds. Nothin’ worth chasin’. There’s a brief pulse on Wednesday the 22nd with 3ft and clean conditions, but the energy is weak (50). Same story on Thursday the 23rd morning—4ft from the SSW, period just 6 seconds, clean, but marginal.

The very end of the run on Monday the 27th of July shows another spike: 5ft SSW swell, combined energy of 214, and clean conditions with a firm WSW wind. That’s over a week and a half away, so keep an eye on it—promising but not locked in.

So overall, a long quiet spell, then a couple of decent but not epic days around the 19th to 20th of July, and another possible late pulse on the 27th. The best bet is Monday the 20th of July morning. It’s not a classic, but it’s the closest we get to a proper session in this outlook.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 38mm), heaviest during Sun night. Warm (max 32°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the NE by Mon afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
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
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
9
0.4
SE
10
0.4
SE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.7
E
7
0.8
E
6
0.4
SE
9
0.6
E
7
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.4
SSW
5
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.2
ESE
8
0.2
ESE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
23
33
32
29
28
45
54
28
33
26
20
17
16
10
6
9
11
10
10
6
6
Wind (km/h)
10
W
0
NNE
5
SSE
15
NNE
30
NE
20
NNE
15
NE
10
NNE
5
N
10
N
15
SSW
10
WSW
10
WSW
25
SSW
10
SW
10
NNE
15
S
10
S
10
WSW
20
SW
15
W
Wind State
off
glassy
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross
off
cross-off
off
High Tide
6:44PM1.80m
6:59AM1.15m
7:40PM1.85m
7:57AM1.22m
8:33PM1.85m
8:52AM1.28m
9:25PM1.80m
9:47AM1.33m
10:15PM1.71m
10:41AM1.36m
11:04PM1.59m
11:36AM1.37m
11:52PM1.44m
Low Tide
11:48AM-0.18m
1:11AM-0.04m
12:47PM-0.22m
2:05AM-0.09m
1:46PM-0.24m
2:56AM-0.12m
2:43PM-0.22m
3:45AM-0.14m
3:39PM-0.17m
4:32AM-0.13m
4:35PM-0.10m
5:19AM-0.10m
5:31PM-0.00m
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
rain showers
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:09
6:09
6:09
6:11
6:11
6:11
6:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:23
8:23
8:23
8:22
8:22
8:22
8:22
 mm
1
2
26
8
1
1
1
1
1
Temp °C
29
32
24
26
26
24
26
27
27
28
29
29
31
32
30
31
32
30
31
32
31
Feels °C
32
35
25
27
26
23
28
30
31
31
31
32
33
32
33
32
34
34
34
32
33
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • 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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