Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 11s period, SE swell with 130 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s 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 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m 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 0.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) 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 0.7m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this 16-day stretch for Pelican Watch is a tough one to write. We’ve got a whole lot of nothing going on for the better part of this forecast.
The first real surfable but ordinary conditions pop up on a Wednesday morning, September 2nd. Up until then, it’s a flat spell with poor surf day after day. From the 28th of August all the way through September 1st, it’s basically a write-off with tiny, weak waves and messy conditions. The energy is in the doldrums, with combined swell energy barely hitting 48 (weak energy).
When Wednesday the 2nd finally rolls around, we get a pulse of energy. The swell bumps up to 2ft out of the SE, and the combined energy hits 119 (moderate). That’s the best on offer. The wind is cross-off from the WSW at 6 mph, keeping things clean. But don’t kid yourself—it’s still only a 2ft wave. Look for this morning session if you’re desperate for a paddle.
Another small window opens Thursday morning, September 3rd. Clean 2ft waves from the ESE with offshore wind from the W at 6 mph. Energy is down again at 55 (weak), but conditions will be tidy for a longboard.
After that, the rest of the outlook is a bleak desert. From September 4th through to the 12th, the surf stays tiny—mostly 1.0ft to 2ft—with poor conditions dominating. There’s a brief moment on Friday, September 11th, when a raw 3ft SSW swell and a cross-off wind show up, but the period is only 6 seconds, so it’ll be weak and chunky. The combined energy is 91 (weak). It’s not worth getting excited about.
Water temperature is sitting around 83°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so no weirdness there.
Honestly, with such small, weak swell and average winds, this whole setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle. For the surfer, patience is the word. The only standouts are those few clean but tiny windows on September 2nd and 3rd. If you’re a beginner, the 1ft to 2ft waves are fine for you, but don’t expect much push.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 31°C on Wed afternoon, min 26°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 32 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 40 | 37 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 71 | 119 | 102 | 74 | 54 | 53 | 28 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:23AM1.34m | 8:43PM1.55m | 9:01AM1.42m | 9:19PM1.52m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:16PM0.05m | 2:50AM0.06m | 2:58PM0.04m | 3:23AM0.04m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — |
mm | 6 | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | 4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 33 | 29 |
Feels °C | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 34 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | ESE 8 | S 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 16 | 28 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 32 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 40 | 37 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 71 | 119 | 102 | 74 | 54 | 53 | 28 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | E 11 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | S 5 | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 9 | — | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 |
| kJ | 29 | 3 | 27 | 26 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 28 | 39 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | — | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | — | — | — | E 3 | — | — | S 5 | — | S 3 | SSW 3 | — | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 4 | SW 4 |
| kJ | — | 11 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 4 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 17 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 298 | 527 | 54 | 129 | 129 | 923 | 282 | 2160 | 672 | 282 | 642 | 575 | 54 | 629 | 17 | 0 | 956 | 17 | 0 | 527 | 54 |
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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