Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period, SW swell with 196 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 6s period with SW 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 29) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pelican Watch in the next 16 days are 1.6m 6s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, same deal but in imperial.
Honestly, mate, the outlook is pretty flat. There’s no real punch or power coming through in this entire 16-day window. The swell is tiny, the energy is weak, and the conditions are mostly messy or just poor. You’re looking at a long stretch with nothing that gets the heart rate up.
We kick off on Wednesday the 29th of July, but it’s not a start you’d paddle out for. Swell is a mere 2ft from the SSW with a short 6-second period, combined energy is a weak 47. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNW, so it’s clean, but the waves are just too small and weak to do much with. The air is calm but so is the swell.
Thursday the 30th is slightly better, but still ordinary. The morning is a cross-shore mess, but by the afternoon you’ve got a clean 2ft from the South at 7 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW. The combined energy is just 54. It’s surfable and clean, but it’s small and weak.
Then we hit a real dead zone. From Friday the 31st of July right through to Monday the 3rd of August, the wind picks up and the quality tanks. Onshore and cross-onshore winds from the SSE and S, gusting up to 18 mph, chop everything up. The swell is still tiny. Not worth a look.
There’s a brief calm moment on Wednesday the 5th of August in the afternoon. The wind goes totally glassy, 0 mph from the West, and the swell is 2ft from the SE at 7 seconds with a combined energy of 37. It’s clean, but the wave size is so small it’s hard to call it surfable. Still, if you’re desperate, that’s the cleanest the water will be.
After that, it’s back to poor conditions. The wind stays moderate to fresh, mostly cross-offshore, but the swell never gets above 2ft until the very end. The best of a bad bunch might be the morning of Wednesday the 12th of August, where the swell is 1ft but the period stretches to 8 seconds, and combined energy hits 55. It’s clean, but small. That’s about as good as it gets.
The final few days, Thursday the 13th and beyond, show a tiny uptick in energy with 2ft from the ENE, but the period is a short 7 seconds, and the wind is light cross-shore. Still no standout.
Honestly, the standout option here is just the glassy window on the 5th of August afternoon. It’s not a swell, it’s a ripple, but with zero wind, it’ll be the cleanest water you’ll see. If you’re a beginner wanting to practice popping up on a lake-like surface, that’s your moment. For anyone wanting real waves, this whole 16-day forecast is a write-off.
The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
Signing off, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 33°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Tue night, calm by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sat morning, min 26°C on Mon morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SSW 6 | ESE 8 | SSE 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 6 | S 7 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 5 | SE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 12 | 25 | 12 | 31 | 32 | 49 | 34 | 29 | 56 | 34 | 13 | 45 | 27 | 16 | 90 | 148 | 121 | 55 | 39 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 10:50AM1.29m | 11:02PM1.38m | 11:33AM1.34m | 11:43PM1.30m | ||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 4:43PM0.09m | 5:10AM0.03m | 5:32PM0.13m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | |  | | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | 8:15 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:10 | — |
mm | 9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 33 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 |
Feels °C | 30 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | SSW 6 | ESE 8 | SSE 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SE 10 | S 6 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SSW 6 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | SE 7 | — | — | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 6 |
| kJ | 12 | 25 | 12 | 31 | 32 | 49 | 4 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 16 | — | — | 79 | 55 | 36 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | SE 6 | E 9 | SW 6 | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | — | ESE 9 | E 7 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | SE 7 |
| kJ | 1 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 39 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 8 | E 6 | — | E 6 | E 9 | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 12 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | — | S 6 | SW 6 | — | — | S 7 | — | S 7 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | S 6 | — |
| kJ | 160 | — | 33 | 35 | — | — | 34 | — | 56 | 34 | 13 | 45 | 27 | 16 | 90 | 148 | 121 | 44 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 489 | 23 | 54 | 22 | 110 | 0 | 253 | 129 | 837 | 708 | 983 | 575 | 708 | 304 | 575 | 575 | 561 | 364 | 351 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
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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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