Pelican Watch Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.04° N 77.89° W

Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 08 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Pelican Watch sea temperature is
27.9° C
0.1° 

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 8 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 14 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 15 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, SSW swell with 186 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 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 Saturday (Aug 08) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. 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 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) 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 1.5m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sat 8th Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 8s
Best Surf11AM (Fri 14th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 6s
Most Powerful 5AM (Sat 15th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 7s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and talk about what’s actually gonna be worth your time over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the outlook for Pelican Watch is pretty bleak for most of the period. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak surf with a whole lot of nothing happening. For the first five days, from Saturday the 8th to Wednesday the 12th, there’s just nothing rideable. The swell is barely hitting 2.5 to 3 feet, the energy is weak, and the conditions are ordinary at best. You’re better off doing anything else than staring at a flat ocean.

There’s a small blip of life on Friday morning, August 14th. The swell jumps to about 4.3 feet from the SSW with a short, 6-second period. It’s not pretty, but it’s the first real sign of anything. Still, that’s a flash in the pan; the afternoon drops right back off.

After that, it’s more of the same – ankle-biters and poor conditions through the rest of August. There’s a persistent SE swell direction, but the periods are all over the place, and the energy barely gets into the triple digits. We see a slight increase in energy around August 17th and 18th, but the waves stay small and the cross-shore winds mess things up.

Now, if you’re looking for a standout, you have to fast-forward all the way to Friday morning, August 21st. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best the forecast has to offer. We finally get a pulse of about 4.3 feet of swell, this time from the ENE. The energy is moderate at 170. The catch is the wind is a cross-shore from the NNE, so it won’t be clean perfection, but at least there’s some push. Keep in mind, this is a long-range call, so treat it as promising but not certain.

The thing is, Pelican Watch is a beginner-friendly spot, and it’s exposed to the swell. But with the waves this small and the onshores piling in from the 22nd onward, it looks like a write-off for the rest of the window. For a beach break, long-period swells (over 11 seconds) can cause waves to close out, but we’re not even getting those with any size.

Water temp is sitting at about 82.2°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit for those long paddles to nowhere.

Bottom line: There’s one morning on the 21st that might be worth a look if you’re desperate, but otherwise, keep your board in the car and wait for the next system.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 36°C on Wed afternoon, min 24°C on Tue morning). Mainly fresh winds.

Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
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
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
SE
8
0.8
SE
8
0.7
SE
8
0.7
SE
7
0.6
SE
7
0.5
SE
7
0.4
SE
7
0.4
SE
6
0.3
SE
6
0.6
SSW
5
0.2
ESE
9
0.2
ESE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
1.3
SSW
6
0.3
SE
8
1.3
SSW
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
95
77
57
52
33
23
15
10
6
22
7
7
10
10
11
10
10
10
132
10
136
Wind (km/h)
10
SSE
15
S
10
SW
10
WSW
20
SSW
15
SW
15
SW
15
WSW
15
W
15
W
25
SW
20
WSW
15
W
15
WSW
20
WSW
15
WSW
30
SSW
25
SW
15
W
15
WNW
10
WSW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
High Tide
4:30PM1.64m
4:42AM1.08m
5:33PM1.71m
5:48AM1.15m
6:33PM1.76m
6:48AM1.25m
7:27PM1.79m
7:44AM1.34m
8:17PM1.78m
8:37AM1.43m
9:05PM1.73m
9:27AM1.48m
9:50PM1.63m
Low Tide
9:27AM-0.02m
10:59PM0.15m
10:34AM-0.05m
00:01AM0.09m
11:40AM-0.10m
00:55AM0.02m
12:41PM-0.15m
1:45AM-0.03m
1:38PM-0.16m
2:32AM-0.08m
2:32PM-0.15m
3:16AM-0.09m
3:25PM-0.11m
3:59AM-0.08m
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
rain showers
clear
thunderstorm
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
mod rain
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:26
6:28
6:28
6:28
6:30
6:31
6:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:06
8:05
8:04
8:02
8:01
8:00
8:00
 mm
3
3
10
9
5
Temp °C
29
29
27
28
30
28
30
32
27
28
32
30
31
36
31
31
34
30
31
33
27
Feels °C
32
30
29
31
31
30
31
32
28
30
33
32
32
36
33
32
33
30
32
33
29
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Pelican Watch:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Pelican Watch surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest