Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 03 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
27.9°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 3 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period, E swell with 138 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 4 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. 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 1.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 8PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Fri 4th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Best Surf 8AM (Fri 4th Sep)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Most Powerful 8AM (Tue 8th Sep)4ft (1.2m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Oi, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this outlook for the next sixteen days is a bit of a bummer for the paddle crew. There’s just nothing on the cards that’s worth getting excited about. The swell is weak, the wind is mostly messy, and the scores are flat.

Let’s run through it. The only spot in the mix is Pelican Watch. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is pretty standard for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The whole sixteen-day run is a write-off. We’re starting with a big gap from now until the end of the forecast. The first few days, right through the weekend, are tiny with heights barely scraping 2 ft and swell energy way down in the double digits (65). The wind is all over the shop – cross-onshore, cross-shore, you name it – making for rippled, choppy, and generally poor conditions.

We get a bit of a bump in energy around Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th, with a 4 ft swell from the east and combined energy hitting 115 and 146. But it’s a junk swell. The period is short (6-7 seconds), so it’s weak and disorganised, and the wind is fresh and onshore, making it lumpy and ugly. Not for surfing.

The rest of the second week and into the third week stays limp. The swell drops back to 1 ft to 2 ft, and while the wind does go offshore or cross-offshore a few times (like the 10th, 11th, and 16th of September), the swell is just too weak to do anything with. The energy numbers are all in the teens and thirties – it’s a flat spell.

There’s a slight lift on the 18th with a 3 ft swell coming in, but the period is only 5 seconds and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore again. That’s a wind-swell bump, not a surfer’s swell.

Honestly, this is one of those stretches where the beach looks more interesting for the kite crew than anyone with a paddle. A few days of clean offshore wind might be nice for a cruise, but there’s no wave to ride. If you’re desperate, keep an eye on the forecasts – it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Sat afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Mon afternoon, light winds from the E by Tue night).

Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
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
0
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)
0.6
SE
9
0.6
ESE
9
0.5
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
ESE
8
0.7
SSW
5
0.4
SE
9
0.9
ENE
4
1.2
E
6
1.3
E
6
1.2
E
6
1.3
E
6
1.1
ESE
7
0.9
ESE
6
0.8
ESE
6
0.6
ESE
6
0.3
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
65
53
34
26
17
17
16
11
27
19
34
85
108
89
128
118
70
42
22
13
20
Wind (km/h)
10
SSE
20
S
15
SW
15
SSW
20
SW
20
WSW
20
WSW
25
SW
5
W
20
ENE
25
ENE
25
ENE
25
NE
30
ENE
20
ENE
15
ENE
15
ESE
15
ESE
10
E
10
ESE
15
S
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
12:55PM1.60m
1:06AM1.14m
2:00PM1.60m
2:13AM1.10m
3:10PM1.61m
3:27AM1.12m
4:20PM1.64m
4:38AM1.18m
5:23PM1.68m
5:42AM1.29m
6:19PM1.70m
6:39AM1.41m
7:10PM1.71m
Low Tide
7:17PM0.23m
7:02AM0.09m
8:28PM0.26m
8:08AM0.10m
9:41PM0.25m
9:21AM0.09m
10:47PM0.21m
10:32AM0.05m
11:44PM0.14m
11:37AM0.00m
00:35AM0.08m
12:36PM-0.04m
1:20AM0.02m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:46
6:46
6:47
6:48
6:48
6:48
6:50
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:35
7:32
7:31
7:30
7:29
7:28
7:27
 mm
16
1
2
2
1
Temp °C
29
29
27
29
30
27
29
31
28
26
27
26
25
26
25
25
26
26
26
27
25
Feels °C
33
31
29
32
31
29
30
31
29
26
26
24
23
23
23
25
25
26
26
27
26
  • 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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