Pelican Watch Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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