Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 9s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, SW swell with 109 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 9s period with ESE 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 Saturday (Aug 22) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.2m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. 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 1.2m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, switching to feet and degrees Fahrenheit.
So, Pelican Watch is pretty flat to start. From Thursday the 20th through Tuesday the 25th of August, the swell is tiny – around 0.7ft to 1ft – with light cross or offshore winds, but the wave energy is bottomed out, between 18 and 47. Not worth waxing the board.
On Sunday morning the 23rd, there’s a small pulse: a 4ft southwest swell, short period of 6 seconds, with clean offshore west winds. Wave energy climbs to 181 – moderate – but the quality is still just ordinary. The water’s warm at about 84°F, which is a little above average for this time of year – feels good.
The big standout is Thursday morning, September 4th. This is nearly two weeks out, so keep an eye on it, but the forecast shows 5ft of east-northeast swell at 7 seconds, with glassy, dead calm winds. The combined energy hits 207 – moderate. That’s clean, punchy, and very surfable. Expect a crowd here though, it’s a well-known spot. This is your best chance in the whole outlook.
After that, Friday the 4th has some 4ft to 3ft swell from the east-northeast, but the wind swings to south-southwest at 12–16 mph, ruining the surface.
The rest of the period is mostly small and forgettable, with a long gap before that Thursday morning swell shows up. After that, it drops off again.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 25°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Warm (max 32°C on Sun afternoon, min 24°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | SW 6 | S 6 | S 5 | SE 12 | S 6 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 17 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 109 | 35 | 14 | 35 | 15 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 22 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:35PM1.35m | 2:42AM0.95m | 3:36PM1.34m | 3:45AM0.93m | 4:35PM1.36m | 4:45AM0.96m | 5:28PM1.40m | 5:38AM1.01m | 6:14PM1.45m | 6:24AM1.09m | 6:55PM1.50m | 7:06AM1.17m | 7:32PM1.54m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:04PM0.36m | 8:31AM0.25m | 10:09PM0.37m | 9:31AM0.26m | 11:06PM0.34m | 10:29AM0.23m | 11:54PM0.30m | 11:22AM0.19m | 00:36AM0.26m | 12:10PM0.15m | 1:12AM0.20m | 12:54PM0.10m | 1:46AM0.15m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 3 | — | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
Temp °C | 31 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 33 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 5 | S 6 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | S 5 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 17 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 50 | 35 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 16 | 22 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 9 | E 8 | SE 11 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 9 | — | E 15 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 30 | — | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 15 | E 6 | SE 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 7 | — | E 7 | — | — | E 7 | E 16 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 4 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 5 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | — | — | S 6 | SSW 5 | WSW 3 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | — | S 5 | S 5 |
| kJ | — | 3 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 45 | 43 | 52 | 109 | 64 | — | — | 15 | 8 | 3 | 56 | 104 | — | 20 | 11 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 837 | 1155 | 1573 | 2336 | 23 | 3 | 352 | 532 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 0 | 253 | 142 | 54 | 54 | 17 | 54 | 946 | 142 |
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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