Surf Forecasts:
Pelican Watch surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 10s period, ESE swell with 69 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s 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 (Aug 18) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m 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 0.6m 10s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore 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 (Aug 23) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pelican Watch over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer around here for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a pretty quiet spell for Pelican Watch, with no real standout days that get the heart racing, but there are a few windows where you could get a splash if you’re not too fussy.
Right from the start, we’re in a flat patch. Monday the 17th kicks off with tiny, weak 2 ft SE swell at 8 seconds – that’s a local windswell with bugger-all push behind it (combined energy of just 30). The morning has a light breeze that’s cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but there’s just nothing to ride. That theme sticks around through the week. Tuesday the 18th morning shows a slightly longer 12-second period, which sounds promising, but it’s still only 1 ft and the energy is weak (68). The wind stays cross-off and clean, so if you’re a beginner wanting a gentle float on a foamie, you might find a ripple. Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd are similar stories – very small, poor surf. Saturday morning actually goes glassy with a NE breeze, but the swell is a messy 2 ft at a pathetic 5 seconds. Not worth the paddle.
The first real change comes Monday the 24th. Still small at 1 ft, but the period jumps to 12 seconds, which is a proper groundswell pulse. The combined energy is still low (54), and the wind is cross-off from the SW, keeping it clean. It’s the best of a bad lot, but I’d call it a “get wet if you’re desperate” session. Wednesday the 26th morning sees the period hit 15 seconds – that’s a very long-period groundswell. The energy bumps up to moderate (79) for the morning, and the wind is offshore from the WSW, so it should be clean. That kind of long-period swell often stands up better on points or reefs, and Pelican Watch is an exposed beach, so it might break a bit straight, but if it lines up, there could be a few fun ones. The afternoon gets even better with clean offshore wind from the west and energy climbing to 133. Honestly, this Wednesday is the best chance in the entire outlook – but it’s still only 1 ft, so keep your expectations in check.
Then we hit a weird couple of days. Thursday the 27th morning brings a bump in height to 5 ft, but it’s short-period (6 seconds) and onshore from the ENE, making for messy, choppy conditions. Not surfable for a paddle. Friday the 28th afternoon sees 5 ft again, but it’s still a junky windswell with onshore winds. That energy reading hits 392, which is strong, but the quality is poor. This might be more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers, to be honest, with that combination of size and cross-onshore wind.
The tail end of the outlook, Monday the 1st of September, returns to tiny 1 ft SE swell and glassy or light wind conditions. Settle in for another long wait after that.
So, to sum it up: don’t expect much. The only window that deserves a mention is Wednesday the 26th of August, where the clean offshore wind and long-period groundswell might just produce a few clean little peelers at Pelican Watch. The water temperature is sitting around 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there. The rest of the period is a classic late-August flat spell. It tends not to stay this poor forever, and forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a board-in-the-bag kind of week.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Mon afternoon, min 27°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Thu morning, fresh winds from the S by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | ESE 13 | S 6 | ESE 12 | S 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
28 | 21 | 21 | 35 | 58 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 21 | 18 | 31 | 28 | 17 | 41 | 15 | 37 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:53AM1.47m | 00:04AM1.23m | 12:43PM1.42m | 00:51AM1.11m | 1:37PM1.38m | 1:43AM1.01m | 2:35PM1.35m | 2:42AM0.95m | 3:36PM1.34m | 3:45AM0.93m | 4:35PM1.36m | 4:45AM0.96m | 5:28PM1.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:00PM0.15m | 6:03AM0.09m | 6:57PM0.24m | 6:47AM0.16m | 7:58PM0.31m | 7:36AM0.22m | 9:04PM0.36m | 8:31AM0.25m | 10:09PM0.37m | 9:31AM0.26m | 11:06PM0.34m | 10:29AM0.23m | 11:54PM0.30m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
— | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 |
Feels °C | 34 | 34 | 32 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 5 | SSE 5 | S 5 | ESE 8 | S 6 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 |
28 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 58 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 26 | 28 | 7 | 41 | 15 | 14 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | SE 12 | E 5 | — | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SE 4 | E 6 | E 6 | E 15 | SE 15 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 |
2 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 1 | — | 11 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | — | SE 13 | E 6 | E 5 | — | — | — | E 6 | E 7 | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | SE 14 | SE 14 | ESE 13 | E 8 | ESE 12 | E 8 | E 7 |
1 | — | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | — | S 4 | SSE 4 | SSW 5 | S 3 | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | NE 3 | S 5 | — | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 |
— | 10 | 16 | 8 | 11 | 11 | — | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 31 | — | 49 | 82 | 62 | 37 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 708 | 736 | 54 | 0 | 258 | 54 | 142 | 110 | 742 | 839 | 837 | 923 | 960 | 527 | 278 | 527 | 489 | 519 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
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.











