Surf Forecasts:
Surf City Pier surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period, S swell with 270 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Surf City Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Surf City Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Surf City Pier in the next 16 days are 1.7m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Surf City Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s be real about Surf City Pier. The 16-day outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of blown-out, weak, or just plain messy conditions. The first few days are a write-off, with cross and cross-onshore winds, and short-period swell. The water temperature is sitting at a warm 84°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least a swim is comfortable.
Right now, starting Tuesday the 21st, there’s some S swell around 4ft, but it’s on a short 6 second period and the wind is howling cross-on from the SSW at 19 mph. The wave energy is weak (111). It’s a lumpy mess. That theme continues for days. Wednesday morning the 22nd is cross-shore and choppy, and the afternoon is just more of the same. The poor surf quality just keeps rolling.
Thursday the 23rd afternoon offers a tiny glimpse of hope. The wind swings light offshore from the NNE at 3 mph, and the wave height drops to 3ft. The combined energy is weak (80). It’s clean, but the waves are very ordinary. The same goes for Saturday morning the 25th, with a light offshore breeze from the NW and only 2ft of swell. It’s clean, but tiny. Sunday morning the 26th is similar – clean 2ft waves, but nothing to get excited about.
The best stretch on offer, and I mean *on offer*, looks like Wednesday the 29th. The swell picks up to 6ft from the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to moderate (416). The wind is gentle cross-shore from the NE. It’s still marginal and a bit lumpy, but it’s the biggest swell of the whole period. The waves might be a little raw for the crowds, but it’s the only day with some real push. After that, it drops back into the doldrums.
There’s a really long gap from the end of July through the first week of August with nothing but tiny, weak, or onshore slop. The only other moment that’s worth paddling out for is the glassy morning of Sunday the 2nd of August, with light westerly winds and a tiny 2ft SE swell. Again, it’s clean but very ordinary.
Honestly, if you’re set on a paddle, the highlight is the morning of the 29th of July. The rest of the time, the wind and swell just aren’t lining up. The surf is struggling. The setup is more interesting for kite surfing on the bigger but choppier days than for a proper surf.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 31°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, calm by Thu night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Mon morning, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 103 | 247 | 152 | 145 | 126 | 97 | 64 | 72 | 53 | 50 | 39 | 37 | 27 | 28 | 41 | 23 | 36 | 28 | 28 | 24 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 2:08PM1.34m | 2:11AM1.03m | 3:05PM1.34m | 3:08AM0.94m | 4:01PM1.35m | 4:07AM0.91m | 4:54PM1.37m | 5:02AM0.91m | 5:43PM1.41m | 5:52AM0.93m | 6:28PM1.45m | 6:37AM0.98m | 7:09PM1.49m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:25PM0.26m | 8:14AM0.12m | 9:31PM0.30m | 9:04AM0.15m | 10:34PM0.30m | 9:56AM0.16m | 11:29PM0.28m | 10:47AM0.16m | 00:17AM0.25m | 11:36AM0.13m | 1:00AM0.21m | 12:22PM0.10m | 1:38AM0.17m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 31 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 28 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 28 |
Feels °C | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 33 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | — | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SSW 5 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 8 | — | 20 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 16 | 16 | 53 | 50 | 39 | 37 | 15 | 28 | 41 | 23 | 36 | 28 | 28 | 15 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 5 | — | S 5 | SE 7 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | — | — | E 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | 12 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 2 | SE 9 | ENE 5 | ENE 4 | — | — | — | — | E 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SW 5 | ENE 4 | — | — | — | SSW 5 | SW 4 | S 3 | S 4 |
| kJ | 103 | 247 | 152 | 145 | 126 | 97 | 64 | 72 | 33 | 32 | 17 | 25 | 8 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 24 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1204 | 436 | 298 | 298 | 251 | 148 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 227 | 194 | 0 | 80 | 80 | 0 | 507 | 245 | 231 | 1000 | 495 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Surf City Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Surf City Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Surf City Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Surf City Pier 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 (Surf City Pier) 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 Surf City Pier 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.
Surf City Pier is 37 km (23 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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